Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.

Also called: Insulation Estimator, Insulation Installer, Insulator, Retrofit Installer, Attic Blower, Insulation Mechanic, Insulation Worker, Spray Foam Installer.

O*NET 47-2131.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $49,120; Middle half earn $43,200 to $60,980. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 68% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors.
Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires.
Cover and line structures with blown or rolled forms of materials to insulate against cold, heat, or moisture, using saws, knives, rasps, trowels, blowers, or other tools and implements.
Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement mortars.
Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles.
Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials.
Cover, seal, or finish insulated surfaces or access holes with plastic covers, canvas strips, sealants, tape, cement or asphalt mastic.
Read blueprints, and select appropriate insulation, based on space characteristics and the heat retaining or excluding characteristics of the material.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.0 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Monitoring2.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
Active Learning2.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction3.4 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.0 / 5
Mechanical3.0 / 5
English Language2.9 / 5
Administration and Management2.8 / 5
Transportation2.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic96
Investigative13
Artistic5
Social1
Enterprising0
Conventional50

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

insulation worker · DE Isoliermonteur/Isoliermonteurin · FR monteur en isolation/monteuse en isolation

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Construction operatives n.e.c. (8159)85,400 employed
Construction and building trades n.e.c. (5319)215,600 employed
Elementary construction occupations n.e.c. (9129)91,600 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.62. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2131).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test