Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 47-2131

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

Median pay sits 33% below the mid peer in Construction and Extraction Occupations (neighbors include Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Tapers, Construction and Building Inspectors, Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Tapers ($68K) , Construction and Building Inspectors ($75K) , Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other ($70K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-2131 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors
  2. 2. Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires
  3. 3. Cover and line structures with blown or rolled forms of materials to insulate against cold, heat, or moisture, using saws, knives, rasps…
  4. 4. Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement…
  5. 5. Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles
  6. 6. Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials
  7. 7. Cover, seal, or finish insulated surfaces or access holes with plastic covers, canvas strips, sealants, tape, cement or asphalt mastic
  8. 8. Read blueprints, and select appropriate insulation, based on space characteristics and the heat retaining or excluding characteristics of…
  9. 9. Remove old insulation, such as asbestos, following safety procedures
  10. 10. Prepare surfaces for insulation application by brushing or spreading on adhesives, cement, or asphalt, or by attaching metal pins to surf…

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-2131 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.0 ; lead knowledge Building and Construction. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.0
  2. 2. Speaking 3.0
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.0
  4. 4. Operation and Control 3.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 2.9
  6. 6. Coordination 2.9
  7. 7. Operations Monitoring 2.9
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Building and Construction 3.4
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 3.0
  3. 3. Mechanical 3.0
  4. 4. English Language 2.9
  5. 5. Administration and Management 2.8
  6. 6. Transportation 2.6
Pay vs Construction and Extraction Occupations peers
-33%
vs mid peer median $73,300
This role $49,120/yr
$49K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
3,400
Annual openings
44,440
Estimated US jobs
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $110K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

1. Oregon $60,210
2. Missouri $56,040
3. Maryland $58,420
4. Iowa $55,820
5. Ohio $58,400
6. Alaska $56,470
7. Mississippi $62,880
8. New York $59,100
9. Nebraska $73,140
10. Washington $67,750

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Construction and Building Inspectors $74,690
  2. 2. Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other $70,130
  3. 3. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  4. 4. Terrazzo Workers and Finishers $76,170
  5. 5. Tapers $68,270
  6. 6. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $74,500

Among Construction and Extraction Occupations peers on this card, Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall sits 33% below the mid peer median ($73,300). Its own median is $49,120.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Oregon at $60,210. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $109,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall pay-rank #47 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

On the Construction and Extraction Occupations median table (60 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall lands at #47, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 47-2131 · national median $49,120 · lower third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#47/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-2131

Oregon · top state for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

$60K published median

Missouri · #2 state pay

$56K · behind Oregon

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall · $110K

Tapers

Lower-pay peer beside Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall · $68K

Compare Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

Against another occupation

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall land on the Construction and Extraction Occupations median table? ▼
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall is pay-rank #47 of 60 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Pipelayers ($49K), Painters, Construction and Maintenance ($49K), Hazardous Materials Removal Workers ($49K), Rock Splitters, Quarry ($49K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall. Leading ones include: 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…; Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall? ▼
For SOC 47-2131, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.0), Speaking (3.0), Critical Thinking (3.0), Operation and Control (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $49,120 as the national median for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall. The published 10th-90th range is $37,030 to $78,190. Beside Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 3,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall? ▼
Oregon ($60,210), Missouri ($56,040), Maryland ($58,420) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-2131. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics