Insulation recruiters serving Memphis.
At a $45,900 median, insulation workers, mechanical in Memphis earn 21% less than nationally; about 120 work in the metro. BLS counts 30 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 Memphis.
BLS counts about 930 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Memphis metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 570). Relative to the size of the local economy, insulation workers, mechanical are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.21). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
Memphis: 120 employed · $45,900 median, 57th-highest of 58 metros
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
Memphis: 140 employed · $47,270 median, 44th-highest of 69 metros
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
Memphis: 2,500 employed · $75,850 median, 82nd-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
Memphis: 630 employed · $76,660 median, 70th-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
Memphis: 670 employed · $107,710 median, 63rd-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
Memphis: 100 employed · $48,460 median, 38th-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
Memphis: 570 employed · $59,750 median, 101st-highest of 112 metros
What Insulation roles earn in Memphis.
Insulation workers, mechanical in Memphis earn a median $45,900, 21% under the $58,340 national figure, and 57th of 58 metros. Pay runs $37,230 at the tenth percentile to $57,010 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $59,750 against $74,690 nationally.
| Role | Memphis median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)Insulation Workers, Mechanical (47-2132) | $45,900 | $37,230–$57,010 | $58,340 | −21% | 120 |
| Building Envelope Insulation Installer · Spray Foam Technician · Fireproofing / Firestop TechnicianInsulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall (47-2131) | $47,270 | $36,470–$61,220 | $49,120 | −4% | 140 |
| Insulation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $75,850 | $49,500–$109,280 | $79,920 | −5% | 2,500 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $76,660 | $50,160–$122,900 | $78,740 | −3% | 630 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $107,710 | $65,750–$168,220 | $114,990 | −6% | 670 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $48,460 | $39,460–$62,390 | $49,450 | −2% | 100 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $59,750 | $42,870–$89,420 | $74,690 | −20% | 570 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Memphis 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 Memphis's insulation market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Memphis rose from 25 in 2018 to 30 in 2023, up 20%, ahead of the 3% national decline.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: business locations | 25 | 30 | +20% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | – | 325 | – |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | – | $86,985 | – |
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
Memphis runs 20% fewer insulation workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Memphis's insulation market compares
Among the 63 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Memphis ranks 44th for headcount, 42nd for median pay and 41st for concentration for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall.
| 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:For insulation employers in Memphis, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Memphis 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, Knoxville and Chattanooga, so candidates licensed there can work in Memphis without re-qualifying. The Memphis 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 Memphis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Little Rock, about 130 miles away. St. Louis pays the most nearby, a $79,240 median, 73% above Memphis. That is the number any Memphis offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. St. Louis has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis | – | 120 | $45,900 |
| Little Rock | 130 mi | – | – |
| Nashville | 196 mi | 250 | $49,800 |
| Huntsville | 198 mi | – | – |
| Birmingham | 217 mi | – | – |
| St. Louis | 240 mi | 560 | $79,240 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Memphis crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Memphis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- FedEx Memphis World Hub overhaul~$1BMulti-year, phased
FedEx's broader modernization of its Memphis air-cargo hub, the largest in the world. Sustained materials-handling electrical, structural, and industrial mechanical demand across multiple concurrent projects.
- FedEx "Hercules" sorting facility$400MGroundwork permit filed Aug 2026
A 5-story, 1.6M sq ft automated small-package sorting facility at Memphis International Airport, connected by an elevated bridge to FedEx's recently completed Secondary 25 sorting center. First-phase groundwork includes site demolition, drainage, underground utilities, paving, and foundation work.
- FedEx International Priority Freight Shipment Facility expansion$18.1M3-phase, completing summer 2028
A ~500,000 sq ft commercial addition to an existing freight canopy at the World Hub - smaller in scale than Hercules but adds to the steady drumbeat of FedEx-driven construction demand in this market.
These are the 3 projects we track in Memphis. The Memphis market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in Memphis.
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 Memphis.
What do insulation workers, mechanical earn in Memphis?
BLS puts the Memphis median for insulation workers, mechanical at $45,900 a year, 21% below the $58,340 national median. That ranks 57th of 58 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $37,230 to $57,010 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Tennessee, Nashville pays more, at $49,800.
Is it hard to hire insulation workers, mechanical in Memphis?
Not by national standards. Insulation workers, mechanical make up 21% more of the Memphis workforce than they do nationally, about 120 people. The 30 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors here average about 11 employees per location. With 20% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which insulation roles pay the most in Memphis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in Memphis, a $107,710 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Insulation Inspector / QC Technician at $59,750, 45% below it. Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler) is the lowest-paid field role at $45,900. Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler) trails national pay the most (21% below).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in Memphis?
BLS counted 30 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Memphis in 2023, employing about 325 people between them. Up from 25 in 2018, a 20% increase against 3% decline nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay an average of $86,985, 13% above the $77,107 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Memphis for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Nashville (196 miles, about 250, $49,800 median) and St. Louis (240 miles, about 560, $79,240 median). Nashville has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Nashville pays 8% more, which is where Memphis employers tend to lose people.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Memphis has one of the deeper pools of insulation workers, mechanical we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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