How much do insulation workers make in New York in 2026?

Insulation workers in New York earn a median annual salary of $59,120, which works out to roughly $28.42 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of the range — meaning half of insulation workers in the state earn more than that, and half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a lower-paying region of the state, expect to land closer to the 25th percentile of $48,650 a year, or about $23.39 an hour. Workers at the top end of the scale — those with more experience, specialty certifications, or positions on larger commercial and industrial jobs — reach the 75th percentile at $82,900 annually, which comes to $39.86 an hour. These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile is over $34,000 a year. That's not a small gap. It tells you that where you work, what you work on, and how long you've been doing it all make a real difference in what ends up on your paycheck.

New York's insulation trade covers a wide range of work. Mechanical insulation on pipe and duct systems in commercial buildings and industrial plants tends to pay more than residential work. Workers who can handle spray foam, fiberglass batt, mineral wool, and rigid board — and who understand vapor barriers and fire-stopping systems — are more useful to contractors and get paid accordingly. Jobs in New York City and the surrounding metro area typically carry higher wages than upstate positions, reflecting both the cost of living and the concentration of large construction projects.

Insulation work is physically demanding. Workers spend time in tight crawlspaces, hot attics, and on scaffolding in industrial plants. The job requires handling cutting tools and working with materials that require proper respiratory and skin protection. None of that is reflected in a raw salary number, but it's real cost that experienced workers factor in when evaluating a wage offer.

Overtime is common on commercial and industrial jobs, especially when project timelines compress. At the median hourly rate of $28.42, a worker putting in 10 hours of overtime a week at time-and-a-half would add roughly $21,315 to their base annual earnings — pushing total compensation well above the median figure.

Apprenticeship programs in New York provide a structured path into the trade. Apprentices typically start at a percentage of the journeyman rate and move up incrementally over a multi-year program that combines on-the-job hours with classroom instruction. Completing an apprenticeship generally positions a worker in the upper half of the wage distribution. No union scale data was available for this trade in New York at the time of publication.

For comparison, the 75th percentile of $82,900 — roughly $39.86 an hour — is a realistic target for an experienced journeyman working steady commercial or industrial work in a higher-wage market in the state. Getting there usually means accumulating years of hands-on experience, demonstrating reliability, and taking on more complex insulation systems that require closer reading of mechanical and architectural drawings.

All wage data on this page is sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release. Figures reflect wages for insulation workers in New York State and do not include benefits, overtime, or per diem pay where applicable.