Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2131.00United States
Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.
- Median annual earnings
- $48,826
- Projected change
- +6.6%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 46.5K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
97.6% of the workforce
Growing to 49.59K by 2035
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The work
What insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors.
- 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.
- Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires.
- 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.
- Remove old insulation, such as asbestos, following safety procedures.
- Prepare surfaces for insulation application by brushing or spreading on adhesives, cement, or asphalt, or by attaching metal pins to surfaces.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $36,318
- 25th percentile
- $42,746
- 50th percentile
- $48,826
- 75th percentile
- $60,924
- 90th percentile
- $78,471
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $48,826 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+6.6%faster than average
202546,501 jobs
2035 projected49,591 jobs
3,090 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 97.6%
- Certificate
- 2.4%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Insulation Installers1,109 postings
- 02Spray Foam Applicators434 postings
- 03Insulators283 postings
- 04Insulation Technicians261 postings
- 05Installers253 postings
- 06Mechanical Insulators125 postings
- 07Fiberglass Technicians64 postings
- 08Installation Technicians57 postings
- 09Gutter Installers49 postings
- 10Roofing Contractors42 postings
- 11Smart Home Installers39 postings
- 12Automotive Paint Technicians38 postings
- 13Subcontractors38 postings
- 14Laborer Journeymen36 postings
- 15Mechanical Installers36 postings
- 16Construction Insulation Installers33 postings
- 17Journeymen33 postings
- 18Scaffold Builders29 postings
- 19Fireplace Installers27 postings
- 20Operator Helpers27 postings
Top employers
- 01TruTeam248 postings
- 02Installed Building Products222 postings
- 03Builder Services Group164 postings
- 04Blue World Pools88 postings
- 05Aerotek73 postings
- 06Brown & Root Industrial Services65 postings
- 07Koala Insulation46 postings
- 08Brown & Root43 postings
- 09Leaffilter North41 postings
- 10Advantage Inspections & De-Identification38 postings
- 11Erie Co Home37 postings
- 12The Brock Group36 postings
- 13Orkin35 postings
- 1431-W Insulation34 postings
- 15American National Insulation33 postings
- 16Homeworks Energy29 postings
- 17BrandSafway27 postings
- 18Zachry Brands27 postings
- 19Austin Industrial22 postings
- 20Citywide Insulation22 postings
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