Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall: Career Overview
Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.
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What Do Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall Take On?
The core tasks performed by insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall span:
- Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors.
- Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires.
- Cover and line structures with blown or rolled forms of materials to insulate against cold, heat, or moisture, using saws, knives, rasps, trowels, blowers, or other tools and implements.
- Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement mortars.
- Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles.
- Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials.
- Cover, seal, or finish insulated surfaces or access holes with plastic covers, canvas strips, sealants, tape, cement or asphalt mastic.
- Read blueprints, and select appropriate insulation, based on space characteristics and the heat retaining or excluding characteristics of the material.
Skills and Knowledge
Top insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall Jobs
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Air Conditioning Insulation Installer
- Attic Blower
- Blower Insulator
- Ceiling Insulation Blower
- Composition Weatherboard Installer
- Construction Insulation Installer
- Containment Worker
- Cork Insulation Installer
Job Outlook
There are about 651,661 insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to decline by -1.9% over the projection horizon.
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $70,937 |
| Hourly median | $34.10 |
| 10th percentile | $49,344 |
| 25th percentile | $60,140 |
| 75th percentile | $81,734 |
| 90th percentile | $92,530 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $63,500 |
| Oregon | $62,830 |
| Nevada | $61,920 |
| Mississippi | $60,930 |
| Maryland | $58,870 |
| Maine | $58,750 |
| Massachusetts | $57,150 |
| Ohio | $56,640 |
| Minnesota | $56,050 |
| New Jersey | $55,770 |
| Wisconsin | $54,640 |
| Vermont | $52,000 |
| Indiana | $50,510 |
| Louisiana | $50,040 |
| North Dakota | $49,860 |
| Illinois | $49,840 |
| Montana | $49,770 |
| Washington | $49,760 |
| Missouri | $49,720 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,100 |
| Connecticut | $48,980 |
| Iowa | $48,960 |
| Colorado | $48,630 |
| Florida | $48,350 |
| Utah | $48,330 |
| Texas | $48,010 |
| Wyoming | $47,700 |
| Arizona | $47,570 |
| Alabama | $47,260 |
| Kansas | $46,710 |
| Delaware | $46,700 |
| Georgia | $45,900 |
| South Carolina | $45,880 |
| Oklahoma | $45,730 |
| Michigan | $45,700 |
| Kentucky | $45,340 |
| Arkansas | $45,220 |
| Tennessee | $45,170 |
| North Carolina | $45,150 |
| California | $44,620 |
| Nebraska | $44,560 |
| Virginia | $44,290 |
| New Mexico | $42,740 |
| New Hampshire | $42,390 |
| Idaho | $41,340 |
| Alaska | $40,330 |
| South Dakota | $40,190 |
| West Virginia | $37,780 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,740 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Earnings for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $58,651 | 12.0% | 0.89 |
| New England | $54,571 | 4.6% | 1.16 |
| Great Lakes | $51,819 | 11.8% | 0.83 |
| Plains States | $50,283 | 9.3% | 1.40 |
| Far Western US | $49,815 | 11.6% | 0.84 |
| Rocky Mountains | $47,630 | 6.4% | 2.01 |
| Southwest | $47,550 | 20.1% | 1.61 |
| Southeast | $47,325 | 24.2% | 1.27 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medford, OR | OR | $65,830 | 60 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $65,330 | 60 |
| Columbus, OH | OH | $65,100 | 480 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $64,510 | 1,950 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | MD | $63,660 | 440 |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | NY | $63,040 | 110 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | WA | $60,270 | 70 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $58,960 | 90 |
Top Industries Employing Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
Most insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 36,760 | $48,590 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 590 | $48,420 |
| Manufacturing | 360 | $56,150 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 210 | $55,540 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 180 | $43,390 |
| Retail Trade | 160 | $33,380 |
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall work in the following industries:
Tools and Technology
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
The on-the-job environment of insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Spend Time Standing
- Wear Specialized Protective or Safety Equipment such as Breathing Apparatus, Safety Harness, Full Protection Suits, or Radiation Protection
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Exposed to Contaminants
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
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Where to Study
Students preparing for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall typically earn programs in:
Construction Trades
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 47-2131.00 (Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall).