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Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.
Other titles employers use
Attic Blower · Insulation Estimator · Insulation Installer · Insulation Mechanic · Insulation Worker · Insulator · Retrofit Installer · Spray Foam Installer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
Subjects to know
- Building and Construction
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
Useful strengths
- Extent Flexibility
- Manual Dexterity
- Multilimb Coordination
- Trunk Strength
- Gross Body Equilibrium
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.3 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.6 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 4.2 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.3 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Most employers do not ask for a formal credential. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 98%
- A certificate or some college 2%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Operating system software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Project management software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 3,030
- Job openings each year
- 250
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 14.3%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 3,030 | 250 | 14.3% |
| Texas | 2,510 | 200 | 5.5% |
| Louisiana | 2,120 | 170 | 7.1% |
| California | 1,500 | 130 | 7.1% |
| Washington | 1,480 | 140 | 14.7% |
| Georgia | 1,470 | 120 | 14.0% |
| Minnesota | 1,450 | 120 | 7.4% |
| Maryland | 1,440 | 120 | 5.9% |
| Tennessee | 1,260 | 110 | 13.5% |
| Colorado | 1,130 | 90 | 11.9% |
| Ohio | 1,110 | 90 | 1.8% |
| Illinois | 1,000 | 80 | 2.0% |
| Michigan | 1,000 | 80 | 1.0% |
| North Carolina | 980 | 80 | 8.9% |
| Missouri | 920 | 70 | 3.4% |
| New York | 830 | 0 | 5.1% |
| Alabama | 750 | 60 | 5.6% |
| Wisconsin | 730 | 60 | 10.6% |
| Idaho | 700 | 60 | 22.8% |
| Oklahoma | 700 | 50 | 4.5% |
| Utah | 630 | 60 | 26.0% |
| Kentucky | 610 | 50 | — |
| Arizona | 600 | 50 | 15.4% |
| Oregon | 560 | 50 | 19.1% |
| Montana | 530 | 50 | 26.2% |
| Indiana | 500 | 40 | 2.0% |
| New Jersey | 420 | 30 | 5.0% |
| Mississippi | 390 | 30 | 18.2% |
| Virginia | 370 | 30 | 2.8% |
| South Carolina | 350 | 30 | 2.9% |
| Kansas | 340 | 30 | 6.3% |
| Massachusetts | 340 | 30 | 6.3% |
| South Dakota | 340 | 30 | 13.3% |
| Iowa | 330 | 30 | 6.5% |
| Connecticut | 300 | 20 | 11.1% |
| Arkansas | 290 | 20 | 3.6% |
| New Hampshire | 280 | 20 | 7.7% |
| Puerto Rico | 270 | 20 | 3.8% |
| Nebraska | 250 | 20 | 8.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 200 | 20 | — |
| Wyoming | 200 | 20 | 17.6% |
| North Dakota | 170 | 20 | 13.3% |
| Vermont | 150 | 10 | 7.1% |
| West Virginia | 150 | 10 | 7.1% |
| Maine | 140 | 10 | −6.7% |
| New Mexico | 120 | 10 | 9.1% |
| Alaska | 100 | 10 | 11.1% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Degrees each year
- 76
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Rowan University
- Degrees each year
- 56
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Tuskegee University
- Degrees each year
- 12
- Admit rate
- 31%
- Annual cost after aid
- $35,000
Thomas Jefferson University
- Degrees each year
- 4
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $25,000
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Compare every college offering building/construction finishing, management, and inspection