How much do insulation workers make in the US in 2026?

Which state is best for insulation workers?

Different states win on different measures — here's the top on each. Pick the one that matters to you.

Across 25 states: $46,380–$119,690 (median $64,710).

Insulation Worker pay by state

Where is the union premium biggest for Insulation Workers?

Named locals and the premium over the BLS all-worker median.

We don't have union scale data for Insulation Worker across our states yet — these states are predominantly non-union, or we haven't added IBEW/UA data. Submitting your pay helps build complete data for Insulation Worker.

Union landscape

TradesPays does not have union scale data for insulation workers in any of the 25 states we currently cover. That's a straight-up gap in our dataset, and we'd rather say so plainly than paper over it with guesses. What we can tell you is this: some insulation workers are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and those contracts set wages, hours, and benefits through negotiations between the employer and the workers' bargaining unit. If you're working under or considering a union contract, the only reliable source for current scale rates is your local — full stop. Rates are negotiated on a local-by-local basis and can change with each contract cycle, so any number we'd publish could be stale before the ink dries. If you are a union insulation worker and want to help us fill this gap, scroll down to the submission link. Your input — even anonymized — helps build a more complete picture for every worker who lands on this page.

What we don't track yet

Two gaps worth flagging before you use these numbers to make a real decision. First, metro-level pay. The state medians on this page are statewide figures. A worker doing mechanical insulation on industrial piping in a major port city almost certainly sees different wages than one doing residential batt insulation in a rural part of the same state. We don't have reliable metro breakdowns for this trade yet, so the state figure is the closest proxy we can offer — use it accordingly. Second, career-tier splits. Insulation work has a real learning curve — reading blueprints, working with different materials (fiberglass, mineral wool, foam, calcium silicate), and handling specialty applications like cryogenic or high-temperature systems. An installer in their first year and a seasoned foreman doing complex mechanical work are not the same job, but our current data doesn't split wages by apprentice, journeyman, or master tier outside of union scale — which, as noted above, we don't have for this trade yet. If you have wage data — your own pay stub, a verified offer letter, a verified scale sheet — submit it through the link below. Every real data point we receive moves us closer to tier-level and metro-level coverage.

Insulation Worker pay: FAQ

What is the national median wage for insulation workers?

According to BLS OEWS May 2025 data, the national median annual wage for insulation workers is $58,340.

What do the top 25% of insulation workers earn nationally?

The 75th percentile for insulation workers nationally is $77,360 per year. The 25th percentile sits at $48,100, so the middle half of the workforce earns between those two figures.

Which states pay insulation workers the most?

In the TradesPays dataset, California leads at $119,690, followed by New Jersey at $107,610 and Minnesota at $105,670. These are statewide medians — pay within a state will vary by metro area and type of work.

Which state in your dataset pays insulation workers the least?

Tennessee is the lowest in our current 25-state dataset at $46,380. Keep in mind we only cover 25 states, so this isn't a national floor — just the lowest figure in the states we track.

How many states does TradesPays cover for insulation workers?

TradesPays currently covers insulation worker wages in 25 states. If your state isn't listed, it means we don't yet have reliable data for it — not that insulation workers there earn nothing worth reporting.

Does TradesPays have union scale rates for insulation workers?

No. We don't have union scale data for this trade in any of the 25 states we cover. If you're working under a collective bargaining agreement, check directly with your local for current negotiated rates — those figures are contract-specific and change each cycle.

Does the type of insulation work — mechanical, building, or cryogenic — affect pay?

Almost certainly yes, but TradesPays doesn't yet have data broken out by insulation specialty. The figures on this page reflect all insulation workers combined. Specialty mechanical and industrial applications generally require more technical skill, which tends to push wages higher, but we can't give you a hard number on that split yet.

Other trades to compare