Insulation recruiters serving Riverside.
BLS counts 80 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 Riverside.
BLS counts about 2,090 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Riverside metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 1,160). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
Riverside: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
Riverside: 480 employed · $46,850 median, 50th-highest of 69 metros
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
Riverside: 8,420 employed · $82,710 median, 33rd-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
Riverside: 3,160 employed · $76,900 median, 67th-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
Riverside: 3,450 employed · $126,040 median, 24th-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
Riverside: 450 employed · $47,950 median, 45th-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
Riverside: 1,160 employed · $89,950 median, 14th-highest of 112 metros
What Insulation roles earn in Riverside.
BLS publishes no Riverside pay for insulation workers, mechanical; nationally the median is $58,340. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall in Riverside earn a median $46,850, 5% under the $49,120 national figure, and 50th of 69 metros. Pay runs $38,430 at the tenth percentile to $83,930 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $89,950 against $74,690 nationally. BLS withholds Riverside pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Riverside 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) | $46,850 | $38,430–$83,930 | $49,120 | −5% | 480 |
| Insulation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,710 | $54,520–$131,890 | $79,920 | +3% | 8,420 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $76,900 | $49,750–$128,940 | $78,740 | −2% | 3,160 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $126,040 | $80,600–$187,200 | $114,990 | +10% | 3,450 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $47,950 | $39,350–$76,150 | $49,450 | −3% | 450 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $89,950 | $51,620–$127,570 | $74,690 | +20% | 1,160 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Riverside 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 Riverside's insulation market has changed since 2018.
Riverside lost nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 87 business locations to 80 (down 8%), behind the 3% national decline. Headcount at those firms went down 22%, to about 2,007 people. Average annual pay there went from $66,843 to $66,360 (−1%), slower than the 21% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: business locations | 87 | 80 | −8% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | 2,571 | 2,007 | −22% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | $66,843 | $66,360 | −1% |
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
Riverside sits at about the national rate for insulation — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Riverside's insulation market compares
Among the 63 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Riverside ranks 18th for headcount, 47th for median pay and 29th for concentration for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 830 | $48,470 | 0.46 | 165 |
| Riverside | 480 | $46,850 | 0.98 | 80 |
| San Francisco | 370 | $76,170 | 0.55 | 59 |
| San Jose | 190 | $58,890 | 0.57 | 33 |
| Sacramento | 170 | $48,310 | 0.56 | 37 |
| San Diego | – | – | – | 72 |
| Fresno | – | – | – | 21 |
| Bakersfield | – | – | – | 11 |
| Stockton | – | – | – | 10 |
| Modesto | – | – | – | 8 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For insulation employers in Riverside, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Riverside metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Insulation licensing in California.
California licenses specialty contractors by classification, including C-2 Insulation and Acoustical, C-8 Concrete and C-29 Masonry. The same state rules apply in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton and Modesto, so candidates licensed there can work in Riverside without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Riverside talent.
The closest metro we cover is Los Angeles, about 50 miles away, with roughly 530 insulation workers, mechanical. BLS does not publish Riverside figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Los Angeles has the largest pool within reach, about 530, at a $124,090 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | – | – | – |
| Los Angeles | 49 mi | 530 | $124,090 |
| San Diego | 87 mi | 100 | $112,280 |
| Bakersfield | 135 mi | – | $58,100 |
| Las Vegas | 200 mi | 190 | $121,870 |
| Fresno | 235 mi | – | – |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Riverside crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Riverside in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Data center corridor (Ontario / Jurupa / San Bernardino)Real trend, no verified regional totalRolling
Hyperscalers moving inland for cheaper power and land. Mechanical PMs with cooling specialty + high-voltage electrical crews in heavy demand.
- World Logistics Center (Moreno Valley)$25BTargeting ~2030, pending appeals
One of the largest master-planned logistics parks in the US - 40M+ sq ft of distribution/fulfillment. The project has a long history of court-voided permits and restarts since 2015, so any fixed completion date carries real uncertainty. Industrial MEP at massive scale, high-bay lighting, automation power. Multi-year demand for warehouse-experienced trades.
- Ontario International Airport expansion ("ONT BOLD")Cost not yet finalized~10-year program (targeting mid-2030s)
Fastest-growing US airport by cargo. New terminal, cargo, and ground-support facilities announced May 2026; the airport's own materials say cost estimates are still being developed during design. Airport-grade MEP plus air-cargo cold-chain and fueling infrastructure.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Riverside market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in Riverside.
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 Riverside.
Which insulation roles pay the most in Riverside?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in Riverside, a $126,040 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Insulation Inspector / QC Technician at $89,950, 29% below it. Building Envelope Insulation Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $46,850. Relative to national pay, Insulation Inspector / QC Technician is the strongest-paying role here (20% above). Building Envelope Insulation Installer trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in Riverside?
BLS counted 80 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Riverside in 2023, employing about 2,007 people between them. Down from 87 in 2018, an 8% decline against 3% decline nationally. That averages 25 people per location. They pay an average of $66,360, 14% below the $77,107 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Riverside for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Los Angeles (49 miles, about 530, $124,090 median), San Diego (87 miles, about 100, $112,280 median) and Bakersfield (135 miles, $58,100 median).
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