Insulation recruiters serving New Orleans.
BLS counts 39 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 New Orleans.
BLS counts about 630 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the New Orleans metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 340). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
New Orleans: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
New Orleans: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
New Orleans: 2,130 employed · $77,700 median, 63rd-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
New Orleans: 470 employed · $81,170 median, 30th-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
New Orleans: 800 employed · $122,050 median, 30th-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
New Orleans: 290 employed · $39,170 median, 85th-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
New Orleans: 340 employed · $69,500 median, 56th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Milwaukee, WI too.
What Insulation roles earn in New Orleans.
BLS publishes no New Orleans pay for insulation workers, mechanical; nationally the median is $58,340. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in New Orleans earn a median $77,700, level with the $79,920 national figure, and 63rd of 112 metros. Pay runs $52,090 at the tenth percentile to $104,160 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $69,500 against $74,690 nationally. BLS withholds New Orleans pay for 2 occupations in the table.
| Role | New Orleans 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) | $77,700 | $52,090–$104,160 | $79,920 | −3% | 2,130 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $81,170 | $47,210–$123,180 | $78,740 | +3% | 470 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $122,050 | $72,700–$182,390 | $114,990 | +6% | 800 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $39,170 | $34,440–$50,700 | $49,450 | −21% | 290 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $69,500 | $47,450–$94,780 | $74,690 | −7% | 340 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New Orleans 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 New Orleans's insulation market has changed since 2018.
New Orleans had 39 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in 2023, exactly as many as in 2018.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: business locations | 39 | 39 | +0% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | – | 210 | – |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | – | $53,792 | – |
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 New Orleans's insulation market compares
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | 1,100 | $48,090 | 9.36 | 27 |
| New Orleans | – | – | – | 39 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:Local insulation employers in New Orleans 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, New Orleans metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Insulation licensing in Louisiana.
Louisiana requires a commercial license for commercial projects of $50,000 or more, including labor and materials, and this applies to subcontractors and specialty trades. Commercial subclassifications include masonry, concrete construction and insulation. The same state rules apply in Baton Rouge, so candidates licensed there can work in New Orleans without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for New Orleans talent.
The closest metro we cover is Baton Rouge, about 75 miles away, with roughly 90 insulation workers, mechanical. BLS does not publish New Orleans figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Baton Rouge has the largest pool within reach, about 90, at a $51,230 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | – | – | – |
| Baton Rouge | 74 mi | 90 | $51,230 |
| Pensacola | 174 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for New Orleans crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into New Orleans in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- UBE Chemicals plant (Jefferson Parish)$500MUnder construction, modular units arriving
A new chemical manufacturing plant inside the New Orleans MSA itself (Jefferson Parish), with mechanical construction ongoing as modular production units arrive on site.
- Ochsner children's hospital$300MMulti-year
New pediatric hospital construction - hospital-grade mechanical, medical gas plumbing, and ICRA-compliant construction for the region's largest health system.
- Port NOLA Louisiana International Terminal$1.8BMulti-year delivery, dedicated finance team recently staffed
A major new container terminal for the Port of New Orleans. Heavy civil, marine construction, and port-electrical demand at a scale the region's port infrastructure hasn't seen in a generation.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The New Orleans market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in New Orleans.
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 New Orleans.
Which insulation roles pay the most in New Orleans?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in New Orleans, a $122,050 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Insulation Inspector / QC Technician at $69,500, 43% below it. Abatement-Certified Insulator is the lowest-paid field role at $39,170. Relative to national pay, Insulation Project Manager is the strongest-paying role here (6% above). Abatement-Certified Insulator trails national pay the most (21% below).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in New Orleans?
BLS counted 39 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in New Orleans in 2023, employing about 210 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (39). That averages 5.4 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $53,792, 30% below the $77,107 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with New Orleans for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Baton Rouge (74 miles, about 90, $51,230 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
39 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in New Orleans are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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