Insulation recruiters serving Wichita.
BLS counts 10 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 Wichita.
BLS counts about 530 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Wichita metro, the largest group being hazardous materials removal workers (about 210). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Insulation hub.
Mechanical Insulator (Pipe/Duct/Boiler)
Wichita: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Building Envelope Insulation Installer
Wichita: 150 employed · $51,520 median, 25th-highest of 69 metros
Spray Foam Technician
Fireproofing / Firestop Technician
Insulation Foreman / Crew Lead
Wichita: 2,090 employed · $76,410 median, 74th-highest of 112 metros
Insulation Estimator
Wichita: 570 employed · $75,090 median, 78th-highest of 111 metros
Insulation Project Manager
Wichita: 730 employed · $108,180 median, 60th-highest of 111 metros
Abatement-Certified Insulator
Wichita: 210 employed · $42,520 median, 83rd-highest of 90 metros
Blower / Loose-Fill Insulation Technician
Insulation Inspector / QC Technician
Wichita: 170 employed · $62,300 median, 89th-highest of 112 metros
What Insulation roles earn in Wichita.
BLS publishes no Wichita pay for insulation workers, mechanical; nationally the median is $58,340. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall in Wichita earn a median $51,520, 5% over the $49,120 national figure, and 25th of 69 metros. Pay runs $38,980 at the tenth percentile to $89,080 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is construction and building inspectors, at $62,300 against $74,690 nationally. BLS withholds Wichita pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Wichita 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) | $51,520 | $38,980–$89,080 | $49,120 | +5% | 150 |
| Insulation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $76,410 | $50,340–$102,870 | $79,920 | −4% | 2,090 |
| Insulation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $75,090 | $47,390–$113,670 | $78,740 | −5% | 570 |
| Insulation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $108,180 | $72,190–$159,140 | $114,990 | −6% | 730 |
| Abatement-Certified InsulatorHazardous Materials Removal Workers (47-4041) | $42,520 | $36,100–$56,340 | $49,450 | −14% | 210 |
| Insulation Inspector / QC TechnicianConstruction and Building Inspectors (47-4011) | $62,300 | $45,890–$106,340 | $74,690 | −17% | 170 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Wichita 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 Wichita's insulation market has changed since 2018.
Wichita lost nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 12 business locations to 10 (down 17%), behind the 3% national decline. With so few firms, one opening or closing moves that percentage a long way. How many people those 10 locations employ is not published: with a category this small, BLS would effectively be reporting individual employers' payrolls.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: business locations | 12 | 10 | −17% |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: employment | 136 | – | – |
| Nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors: average annual pay | $37,934 | – | – |
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
Wichita runs 66% 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 Wichita's insulation market compares
Among the 63 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Wichita ranks 41st for headcount, 25th for median pay and 11th for concentration for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall.
What this means for hiring:For insulation employers in Wichita, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Wichita metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Insulation licensing in Kansas.
Kansas has no state contractor license, and the state's own business guidance states that cities and counties set licensing requirements for construction and contracting businesses, so the local building department governs. The one statewide credential relevant to insulation is asbestos licensing from KDHE. Under K.S.A. 65-5302 no business entity may engage in an asbestos project unless it holds a KDHE license, all of its employees are certified, and it demonstrates compliance capability and access to an approved disposal site. Individuals are certified as Class I Asbestos Worker for non-supervisory removal or Class II for supervising projects, with annual renewal. Check the KDHE business license and Class I or Class II certifications, plus the city or county license for the jurisdiction.
Licensing authority: No state contractor license; cities and counties set contractor licensing requirements. Kansas Department of Health and Environment licenses asbestos business entities and certifies asbestos workers under K.S.A. Article 53. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Wichita talent.
The closest metro we cover is Tulsa, about 130 miles away, with roughly 130 insulation workers, mechanical. BLS does not publish Wichita figures for this occupation, so the nearby markets are the best guide: Kansas City has the largest pool within reach, about 240, and Omaha pays the most, a $79,060 median.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita | – | – | – |
| Tulsa | 130 mi | 130 | $75,030 |
| Oklahoma City | 154 mi | 60 | $74,490 |
| Kansas City | 178 mi | 240 | $69,730 |
| Omaha | 257 mi | 70 | $79,060 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Wichita crews.
Not insulation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Wichita in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Textron Aviation Defense modernization$38M+Contingent on Beechcraft M-346N contract award
Modernizing 50,000+ sq ft of manufacturing space on the east Wichita campus, creating an estimated 100 direct manufacturing jobs.
- Boeing Wichita site investment$1B (following an $8.3B Spirit AeroSystems reacquisition)Over the next three years
Boeing finalized reacquiring Spirit AeroSystems in December 2025, bringing roughly 15,000 employees back under Boeing and committing $1B to modernize the Wichita site.
- Wichita Biomedical Campus$302MOpening spring 2027
An 8-story, 350,000 sq ft partnership between Wichita State University, the University of Kansas, and WSU Tech, bringing 3,000 students and 200 faculty/staff downtown.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Wichita market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for insulation, and what kills offers in Wichita.
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 Wichita.
Which insulation roles pay the most in Wichita?
Of the roles we recruit for, Insulation Project Manager pays the most in Wichita, a $108,180 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Insulation Inspector / QC Technician at $62,300, 42% below it. Abatement-Certified Insulator is the lowest-paid field role at $42,520. Relative to national pay, Building Envelope Insulation Installer is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Insulation Inspector / QC Technician trails national pay the most (17% below).
How many nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors operate in Wichita?
BLS counted 10 nonresidential drywall and insulation contractors in Wichita in 2023. Down from 12 in 2018, a 17% decline against 3% decline nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Wichita for insulation workers, mechanical?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Tulsa (130 miles, about 130, $75,030 median), Oklahoma City (154 miles, about 60, $74,490 median) and Kansas City (178 miles, about 240, $69,730 median).
Every hire from zero is a tax on your team.
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