Insulation Worker, Mechanical
Federal figures put this role between $42,470 and $100,220 a year, with a national median of $58,340.
What this role pays.
We have not closed enough insulation searches to publish a band of our own for this seat, so the figures above are the federal 10th to 90th percentile spread rather than a My Trade Talent band. They are national and not adjusted for experience or region.
The federal occupation for this role is Insulation Workers, Mechanical (SOC 47-2132), May 2025. Nationally it reports a median of $58,340 , with the middle of the market between $42,470 and $100,220.
Where it pays most.
Insulation Workers, Mechanical across the metros we cover, May 2025. BLS publishes a median for 54 of them and withholds the rest, where the local sample was too small to be reliable.
| Metro | Median | Employed there |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $136,460 | 210 |
| Portland | $126,750 | 120 |
| Los Angeles | $124,090 | 530 |
| Las Vegas | $121,870 | 190 |
| San Diego | $112,280 | 100 |
| Minneapolis | $109,360 | 90 |
| Chicago | $103,690 | 930 |
| Sacramento | $93,960 | 90 |
| Memphis | $45,900 | 120 |
| Knoxville | $46,330 | 110 |
| Columbia | $46,970 | 90 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. The last three rows are the lowest-paying metros in the same set. Headcount is metro-wide across every industry, not this trade alone.
Insulation Worker, Mechanical vs Insulation Worker, Floor/Ceiling/Wall.
Two different federal occupations, not two flavours of one. Mechanical insulators work on pipe, duct and boiler - the systems inside a finished building - and BLS puts their median at $58,340 against $49,120 for the building-envelope trade, with a ninetieth percentile above $100,000 that the envelope side does not reach. The work is service and retrofit as much as new build, so it runs year round. A mechanical room is the wrong place for an envelope resume.
Insulation Worker, Floor/Ceiling/Wall: what it pays and what the search takes
Credentials that move an offer.
No single credential reliably moves an offer in this seat. Employers screen on demonstrated commercial experience instead, which makes the resume harder to read and the reference check worth more.
Licensing is a state question, not a national one. The Insulation hiring page carries the state-by-state position, and every market page names the authority for that state.
What the search actually takes.
We have closed 0 insulation searches in 2026 year to date, which is below the 8 we require before publishing a median. We would rather print the count than a number the sample cannot carry. The Hiring Index shows what we do and do not have.
Keep reading.
- 2026 Insulation Salary Guide - the full benchmark by role.
- Insulation recruiting - how we run this trade.
- Salary calculator - the band by experience and region.
- Insulation hiring in Houston - one market in detail.
- Hiring Index - how long our searches actually take.
Other Insulation roles we recruit
All 56 roles we recruit - every trade, every seat.