Insulation recruiters serving Chattanooga.
BLS counts 10 business locations of nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Chattanooga.
BLS counts about 220 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Chattanooga metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 170). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
Chattanooga: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
Chattanooga: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
Chattanooga: 1,430 employed · $75,090 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
Chattanooga: 440 employed · $70,450 median, 101st-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
Chattanooga: 380 employed · $101,640 median, 95th-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
Chattanooga: 50 employed · $59,140 median, 13th-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
Chattanooga: 170 employed · $55,620 median, 107th-highest of 112 metros
What Insulation roles earn in Chattanooga.
BLS publishes no Chattanooga pay for insulation workers, mechanical; nationally the median is $58,340. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in Chattanooga earn a median $75,090, 6% under the $79,920 national figure, and 86th of 112 metros. Pay runs $48,910 at the tenth percentile to $102,230 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is hazardous materials removal workers, at $59,140 against $49,450 nationally. BLS withholds Chattanooga pay for 2 occupations in the table.
| Role | Chattanooga median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)Insulation Workers, Mechanical (47-2132) | – | – | $58,340 | – | – |
| Building Envelope Insulation Installer · Spray Foam Technician · Fireproofing / Firestop TechnicianInsulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall (47-2131) | – | – | $49,120 | – | – |
| Insulation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,090 | $48,910–$102,230 | $79,920 | −6% | 1,430 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $70,450 | $42,440–$106,190 | $78,740 | −11% | 440 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $101,640 | $62,390–$179,570 | $114,990 | −12% | 380 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $59,140 | $39,520–$97,070 | $49,450 | +20% | 50 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $55,620 | $39,960–$81,330 | $74,690 | −26% | 170 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chattanooga metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Chattanooga's insulation market has changed since 2018.
Chattanooga lost nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 12 business locations to 10 (down 17%), behind the 3% national decline. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. Headcount at those firms went down 33%, to about 100 people. Average annual pay there went from $66,686 to $60,382 (−9%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: business locations | 12 | 10 | −17% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | 150 | 100 | −33% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | $66,686 | $60,382 | −9% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Insulation hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Insulation · 2026 Insulation Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Insulation
How Chattanooga's insulation market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 550 | $54,400 | 1.76 | 55 |
| Knoxville | 170 | $48,380 | 1.41 | 23 |
| Memphis | 140 | $47,270 | 0.80 | 30 |
| Chattanooga | – | – | – | 10 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:Local insulation employers in Chattanooga have been cutting headcount, so the people you want are more likely to be weighing a move than actively looking.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Chattanooga metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Insulation licensing in Tennessee.
Tennessee requires a contractor license for projects of $25,000 or more. Masonry subcontractors must be licensed when the masonry portion is $100,000 or more. The same state rules apply in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville, so candidates licensed there can work in Chattanooga without re-qualifying. The Chattanooga metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Chattanooga talent.
The closest metro we cover is Huntsville, about 75 miles away. BLS does not publish Chattanooga figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Atlanta has the largest pool within reach, about 410, at a $51,350 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | – | – | – |
| Huntsville | 76 mi | – | – |
| Knoxville | 101 mi | 110 | $46,330 |
| Atlanta | 104 mi | 410 | $51,350 |
| Nashville | 113 mi | 250 | $49,800 |
| Birmingham | 135 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Chattanooga crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Chattanooga in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Volkswagen Chattanooga plant$4.3B invested since 2011Ongoing production transition
Volkswagen's sole US assembly facility, 4,000+ employees, reached a 1-million-vehicle milestone in 2026 and is pivoting from ID.4 electric vehicle assembly to the second-generation Atlas as its primary production mandate.
- Erlanger East Hospital expansion$122MConstruction begins summer 2026, opening fall 2028
A new three-story, 52,000 sq ft building on Gunbarrel Road adding 22 patient beds, a cardiac catheterization lab, an electrophysiology lab, and an interventional radiology lab, plus 100 new jobs.
- Parkridge Medical Center expansion$98MCompleting 2026
A new patient tower with intensive care and medical-surgical rooms.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Chattanooga market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in Chattanooga.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 3 things that most often end an insulation offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Insulation credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Insulation hiring in Chattanooga.
Which insulation roles pay the most in Chattanooga?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in Chattanooga, a $101,640 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Abatement-Certified Insulator at $59,140, 42% below it. Insulation Inspector / QC Technician is the lowest-paid field role at $55,620. Relative to national pay, Abatement-Certified Insulator is the strongest-paying role here (20% above). Insulation Inspector / QC Technician trails national pay the most (26% below).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in Chattanooga?
BLS counted 10 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Chattanooga in 2023, employing about 100 people between them. Down from 12 in 2018, a 17% decline against 3% decline nationally. That averages 10 people per location. They pay an average of $60,382, 22% below the $77,107 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Chattanooga for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Knoxville (101 miles, about 110, $46,330 median), Atlanta (104 miles, about 410, $51,350 median) and Nashville (113 miles, about 250, $49,800 median).
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