Insulation recruiters serving Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach has 443% more insulation workers, mechanical per job than the country as a whole, about 680 in the metro. BLS counts 33 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 Virginia Beach.
BLS counts about 2,300 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Virginia Beach metro, the largest group being construction and building inspectors (about 1,260). Relative to the size of the local economy, insulation workers, mechanical are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 5.43). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
Virginia Beach: 680 employed
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
Virginia Beach: 160 employed · $43,730 median, 62nd-highest of 69 metros
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
Virginia Beach: 6,140 employed · $80,950 median, 42nd-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
Virginia Beach: 1,440 employed · $80,850 median, 31st-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
Virginia Beach: 1,400 employed · $105,240 median, 73rd-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
Virginia Beach: 200 employed · $45,600 median, 66th-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
Virginia Beach: 1,260 employed · $64,710 median, 71st-highest of 112 metros
What Insulation roles earn in Virginia Beach.
BLS publishes no Virginia Beach pay for insulation workers, mechanical; nationally the median is $58,340. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall in Virginia Beach earn a median $43,730, 11% under the $49,120 national figure, and 62nd of 69 metros. Pay runs $35,500 at the tenth percentile to $53,810 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $64,710 against $74,690 nationally. BLS withholds Virginia Beach pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Virginia Beach median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)Insulation Workers, Mechanical (47-2132) | – | – | $58,340 | – | 680 |
| Building Envelope Insulation Installer · Spray Foam Technician · Fireproofing / Firestop TechnicianInsulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall (47-2131) | $43,730 | $35,500–$53,810 | $49,120 | −11% | 160 |
| Insulation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $80,950 | $55,110–$99,510 | $79,920 | +1% | 6,140 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $80,850 | $52,340–$122,420 | $78,740 | +3% | 1,440 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $105,240 | $77,250–$161,840 | $114,990 | −8% | 1,400 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $45,600 | $35,490–$63,040 | $49,450 | −8% | 200 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $64,710 | $49,810–$91,230 | $74,690 | −13% | 1,260 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach's insulation market has changed since 2018.
Virginia Beach lost nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 37 business locations to 33 (down 11%), behind the 3% national decline. Headcount at those firms went down 19%, to about 397 people. Average annual pay there went from $51,515 to $66,144 (+28%), 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 | 37 | 33 | −11% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | 490 | 397 | −19% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | $51,515 | $66,144 | +28% |
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
Virginia Beach runs 25% fewer insulation workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 Virginia Beach's insulation market compares
Among the 63 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Virginia Beach ranks 40th for headcount, 58th for median pay and 44th for concentration for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall. Pay here is among the lowest we see, which makes relocation offers from higher-paying metros a real retention risk.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | 160 | $43,730 | 0.75 | 33 |
| Richmond | – | – | – | 45 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For insulation employers in Virginia Beach, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Virginia Beach metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Insulation licensing in Virginia.
Virginia requires a contractor license for jobs over $1,000. Class C covers jobs under $30,000, Class B covers $30,000 to under $150,000, and Class A covers $150,000 or more; annual volume limits also apply. Each license carries specialty designations for the type of work. The same state rules apply in Richmond, so candidates licensed there can work in Virginia Beach without re-qualifying. The Virginia Beach metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Board for Contractors (Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Virginia Beach talent.
The closest metro we cover is Richmond, about 95 miles away, with roughly 410 insulation workers, mechanical (0.6 times Virginia Beach's 680). Virginia Beach is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | – | 680 | – |
| Richmond | 95 mi | 410 | $49,460 |
| Washington, D.C. | 152 mi | 370 | $63,630 |
| Raleigh | 166 mi | – | – |
| Baltimore | 172 mi | – | – |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 173 mi | 70 | $49,450 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Virginia Beach crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Virginia Beach in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- FY2026 Navy shipbuilding program$47.4BFY2026, largest single-year US shipbuilding investment since the Cold War
Triggers major construction and outfitting activity at public shipyards, with a distributed manufacturing model spanning 11 states. Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia's largest industrial employer, is a primary beneficiary.
- Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarine contracts (combined)~$76.6B combinedMulti-year build program
HII's own reporting cites this as one combined figure across both concurrent submarine programs (Virginia-class: 9 boats plus material for a 10th; Columbia-class: 5 boats) rather than a per-class split. Sustained, large-scale demand for structural and pipe welders, marine pipefitters, and industrial electricians at Newport News Shipbuilding.
- HII shipbuilding work outsourcing2.5M+ hours in 2026 (+30% YoY)2026, across 25 locations in 11 states
Newport News Shipbuilding's parent company is outsourcing a record volume of shipbuilding work, signaling the regional labor pool cannot keep pace with the Navy's build schedule on its own.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Virginia Beach market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in Virginia Beach.
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 Virginia Beach.
Is it hard to hire insulation workers, mechanical in Virginia Beach?
Not by national standards. Insulation workers, mechanical make up 443% more of the Virginia Beach workforce than they do nationally, about 680 people. The 33 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors here average about 12 employees per location. There are 11% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which insulation roles pay the most in Virginia Beach?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in Virginia Beach, a $105,240 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Insulation Inspector / QC Technician at $64,710, 39% below it. Building Envelope Insulation Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $43,730. Insulation Inspector / QC Technician trails national pay the most (13% below).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in Virginia Beach?
BLS counted 33 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Virginia Beach in 2023, employing about 397 people between them. Down from 37 in 2018, an 11% decline against 3% decline nationally. That averages 12 people per location. They pay an average of $66,144, 14% below the $77,107 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Virginia Beach for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Richmond (95 miles, about 410, $49,460 median), Washington, D.C. (152 miles, about 370, $63,630 median) and Durham-Chapel Hill (173 miles, about 70, $49,450 median).
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Virginia Beach 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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