Insulation recruiters serving Seattle.
BLS counts 53 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 Seattle.
BLS counts about 4,510 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Seattle metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 1,640). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
Seattle: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
Seattle: 1,250 employed · $71,980 median, 4th-highest of 69 metros
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
Seattle: 11,040 employed · $121,130 median, 2nd-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
Seattle: 4,340 employed · $94,490 median, 5th-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
Seattle: 4,010 employed · $159,430 median, 3rd-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
Seattle: 1,620 employed · $60,290 median, 7th-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
Seattle: 1,640 employed · $102,830 median, 4th-highest of 112 metros
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Winston-Salem, NC too.
What Insulation roles earn in Seattle.
BLS publishes no Seattle pay for insulation workers, mechanical; nationally the median is $58,340. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall in Seattle earn a median $71,980, 47% over the $49,120 national figure, and 4th of 69 metros. Pay runs $49,640 at the tenth percentile to $134,100 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $102,830 against $74,690 nationally. BLS withholds Seattle pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Seattle 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) | $71,980 | $49,640–$134,100 | $49,120 | +47% | 1,250 |
| Insulation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $121,130 | $77,980–$170,810 | $79,920 | +52% | 11,040 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $94,490 | $62,020–$152,220 | $78,740 | +20% | 4,340 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $159,430 | $109,800–$221,370 | $114,990 | +39% | 4,010 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $60,290 | $46,740–$99,070 | $49,450 | +22% | 1,620 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $102,830 | $65,320–$120,970 | $74,690 | +38% | 1,640 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Seattle 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 Seattle's insulation market has changed since 2018.
Seattle lost nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 67 business locations to 53 (down 21%), behind the 3% national decline. Headcount at those firms went down 9%, to about 3,047 people. Average annual pay there went from $79,341 to $103,020 (+30%), faster than the 21% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: business locations | 67 | 53 | −21% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | 3,358 | 3,047 | −9% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | $79,341 | $103,020 | +30% |
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
Seattle runs 109% more insulation workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Seattle's insulation market compares
Among the 63 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Seattle ranks 5th for headcount, 4th for median pay and 4th for concentration for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall. That puts it among the deepest insulation labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 1,250 | $71,980 | 2.09 | 53 |
| Spokane | 150 | $61,690 | 2.09 | 12 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For insulation employers in Seattle, the pool is deep but local employers have been cutting headcount. Experienced people are here, and some will be open to a move, so a clear offer and a defined path up usually beat a higher posted rate.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Seattle metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Insulation licensing in Washington.
Washington requires all construction contractors to register with the state as either a general contractor or a specialty contractor, with 63 specialty categories. This is a registration, not a competency-based license. The same state rules apply in Spokane, so candidates licensed there can work in Seattle without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a insulation search in Seattle yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Seattle than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Service Operations CoordinatorA lead dispatcher used to 20-25 technicians and 75 calls a day, placed in eight days.
- Commercial SuperintendentTwenty-five years of ground-up commercial leadership, placed in two weeks.
- Construction SuperintendentTenant-improvement and renovation leadership, including prevailing-wage public work.
Nearby markets competing for Seattle talent.
The closest metro we cover is Portland, about 145 miles away, with roughly 120 insulation workers, mechanical. BLS does not publish Seattle figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Portland has the largest pool within reach, about 120, at a $126,750 median.
What else is competing for Seattle crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Seattle in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Boeing Everett 737 MAX North Line investment$1BRolling
Aerospace manufacturing plants require specialty industrial mechanical, process piping, and high-tolerance electrical. Cleanroom and compressed-air systems experience at a premium.
- Data center growth (Central WA)Real trend, no verified regional totalSeattle itself has an active 2026 moratorium on new large data-center permits, so growth is concentrated in Central WA, not rolling metro-wide
Central Washington is a major hyperscale market. Mechanical PMs with cooling specialty and high-voltage electrical crews command premiums.
- Providence Swedish North Tower + UW Medicine hospital expansions$1.3B (Providence Swedish North Tower); UW Medicine's piece is a one-year feasibility study announced July 2026 with no disclosed cost, funding, or scheduleNorth Tower targeting 2027
Providence Swedish, and eventually UW Medicine pending its feasibility study, drive steady healthcare mechanical, med-gas, and specialty MEP demand across the metro.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Seattle market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in Seattle.
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 Seattle.
Which insulation roles pay the most in Seattle?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in Seattle, a $159,430 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Insulation Inspector / QC Technician at $102,830, 36% below it. Abatement-Certified Insulator is the lowest-paid field role at $60,290. Relative to national pay, Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead is the strongest-paying role here (52% above).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in Seattle?
BLS counted 53 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Seattle in 2023, employing about 3,047 people between them. Down from 67 in 2018, a 21% decline against 3% decline nationally. That averages 57 people per location, so a few large operators dominate hiring. They pay an average of $103,020, 34% above the $77,107 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Seattle for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Portland (145 miles, about 120, $126,750 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
53 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Seattle are hiring from the same local pool. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →