Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
Also called: Insulation Estimator, Insulation Installer, Insulator, Retrofit InstallerLine and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.8% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Insulation workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 98% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $48,740 | $42,320 to $56,450 | 660 |
| Alaska | $56,470 | $38,810 to $64,680 | 170 |
| Arizona | $42,210 | $38,250 to $48,250 | 780 |
| Arkansas | $43,730 | $37,230 to $48,750 | 350 |
| California | $48,840 | $45,300 to $73,660 | 3,080 |
| Colorado | $50,800 | $47,240 to $62,140 | 1,210 |
| Connecticut | $48,550 | $40,380 to $55,680 | 300 |
| Delaware | $53,570 | $46,130 to $61,550 | 280 |
| Florida | $47,100 | $38,620 to $58,240 | 2,690 |
| Georgia | $47,810 | $38,330 to $63,130 | 900 |
| Idaho | $41,550 | $35,740 to $50,730 | 330 |
| Illinois | $53,000 | $46,440 to $72,030 | 780 |
| Indiana | $54,630 | $45,140 to $62,310 | 780 |
| Iowa | $55,820 | $45,180 to $72,220 | 460 |
| Kansas | $51,520 | $45,570 to $60,650 | 430 |
| Kentucky | $49,730 | $44,880 to $77,450 | 400 |
| Louisiana | $47,340 | $44,680 to $58,830 | 1,610 |
| Maine | $47,790 | $40,310 to $57,500 | 440 |
| Maryland | $58,420 | $46,450 to $68,060 | 1,240 |
| Massachusetts | $48,940 | $47,480 to $57,970 | 710 |
| Michigan | $46,490 | $44,860 to $58,150 | 710 |
| Minnesota | $54,350 | $47,940 to $73,300 | 1,090 |
| Mississippi | $62,880 | $49,730 to $62,880 | 290 |
| Missouri | $56,040 | $47,850 to $75,440 | 830 |
| Montana | $48,100 | $42,720 to $56,910 | 490 |
| Nebraska | $73,140 | $47,160 to $81,880 | 310 |
| Nevada | $46,510 | $37,840 to $60,180 | 660 |
| New Hampshire | $51,320 | $47,050 to $59,990 | 230 |
| New Jersey | $52,750 | $40,000 to $75,560 | 820 |
| New Mexico | $48,460 | $38,120 to $61,900 | 250 |
| New York | $59,100 | $49,780 to $72,150 | 1,600 |
| North Carolina | $42,990 | $36,380 to $47,990 | 2,090 |
| North Dakota | $46,450 | $43,990 to $56,840 | 260 |
| Ohio | $58,400 | $45,690 to $79,570 | 870 |
| Oklahoma | $46,880 | $36,640 to $59,420 | 570 |
| Oregon | $60,210 | $49,490 to $72,470 | 700 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,600 | $44,510 to $61,350 | 610 |
| Puerto Rico | $27,040 | $23,130 to $34,220 | 110 |
| South Carolina | $47,020 | $40,120 to $58,040 | 730 |
| South Dakota | $45,820 | $37,170 to $58,620 | 340 |
| Tennessee | $48,410 | $39,390 to $57,060 | 1,160 |
| Texas | $48,740 | $40,670 to $56,290 | 7,120 |
| Utah | $40,080 | $36,280 to $50,050 | 300 |
| Vermont | $53,570 | $52,000 to $63,690 | 110 |
| Virginia | $44,810 | $40,890 to $52,720 | not published |
| Washington | $67,750 | $57,030 to $99,120 | 2,330 |
| West Virginia | $35,390 | $35,210 to $48,240 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $49,520 | $47,290 to $57,860 | 650 |
| Wyoming | $46,200 | $38,470 to $50,440 | 170 |
Nationally: $49,120. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 10 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors. | Not published |
| Not much | Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement mortars. | Not published |
| Not much | Cover, seal, or finish insulated surfaces or access holes with plastic covers, canvas strips, sealants, tape, cement or asphalt mastic. | Not published |
| Not much | Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles. | Not published |
See all 10 tasks
| Not much | Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials. | Not published |
| AI alone | Read blueprints, and select appropriate insulation, based on space characteristics and the heat retaining or excluding characteristics of the material. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove old insulation, such as asbestos, following safety procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare surfaces for insulation application by brushing or spreading on adhesives, cement, or asphalt, or by attaching metal pins to surfaces. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 10 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 10 tasks fall under 9 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build structures | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities |
Show all 9 activities
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 584 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 15%
- 2 Photographers High -0.7% 7%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 4 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 5 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 388 moves in
- 1 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 10%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 3 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks High -7.6% 5%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 5 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 29% less than high school
- 68% high school
- 2% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 28% less than high school
- 46% high school
- 18% some college
- 5% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Insulation workers” · 394 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Insulation workers”
1 program: Insulator.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 3 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (COMPOSITE PLASTIC FABRICATOR (Existing Title: Insulation Worker); CORK INSULATOR, REFRIGERATOR PLT; INSULATOR (Thermal) (Existing Title: Insulation Worker)). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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