How much do insulation workers make in Seattle?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish May 2025 pay data for insulation workers in Seattle. Worker-submitted rates appear below when available.
BLS did not publish pay data for this combination
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish figures for some trade and city combinations, often when the sample is too small. This applies to insulation workers in Seattle.
Worker-submitted rates appear below when available.
Insulation Workers pay trend in Seattle, 2015 to 2025
The BLS did not publish a May 2025 figure for this combination. Earlier published years are shown.
+135.6% since May 2015
Dashed markers are years BLS didn’t publish this combination. Shown as gaps, never interpolated.
How to become an insulation worker in Washington
In FY2024, Washington had 19 active insulation worker apprentices (#27 of 45 jurisdictions) out of 2,928 nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship database. A registered apprenticeship is one paid route into the trade: on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction.
Active insulation worker apprentices in Washington (statewide, FY2024)
19
2,928 nationwide · Washington ranks #27 of 45 jurisdictions
Jurisdictions with the most active insulation worker apprentices, FY2024, top 10
- 01California685
- 02Ohio266
- 03Pennsylvania221
- 04Texas178
- 05Illinois148
- 06Michigan116
- 07Indiana113
- 08Minnesota109
- 09Missouri107
- 10Virginia104
The path in
A registered apprenticeship is one paid route into the trade: paid on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction, run by an employer, union, or trade association and registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency. Programs typically run several years, and apprentices earn a wage that rises as their skills do. In licensed trades such as electrical and plumbing, apprenticeship hours usually count toward the state license.
Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov, the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship site.
Active apprentice counts from the DOL Registered Apprenticeship, FY2024 database (RAPIDS): distinct apprentices by apprentice state (DOL defines this as the apprentice’s location; records from state apprenticeship agencies use the program’s state). Figures are statewide and are the same on every city page in the state. Occupation was not reported for 34.0% of active apprentices, so trade-level counts understate the true pipeline. DOL occupation titles counted: “INSULATION WORKER”, “Insulation Worker”, “PIPE COVERER & INSULATOR”, “COMPOSITE PLASTIC FABRICATOR (Existing Title: Insulation Worker)”, “Insulator”, “CORK INSULATOR, REFRIGERATOR PLT”. U.S. Department of Labor dataset.
Union vs nonunion pay for insulation workers
Full-time union members in this occupation group have median weekly earnings of $1,561, versus $1,004 for nonunion workers: a 55.5% union wage premium, or about $557 more per week. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cautions that these comparisons do not account for age, firm size, industry, or geography. These are the official national figures.
Union wage premium, 2025 (est. from national medians)
+55.5%
$1,561/week union vs $1,004/week nonunion (across all workers: +19.6%)
Median weekly earnings, full-time workers, 2025
Union wage premium by trade, ranked
- 01Electricians+55.5%
- 02Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters+55.5%
- 03Carpenters+55.5%
- 04Painters (Construction & Maintenance)+55.5%
- 05Roofers+55.5%
- 06Structural Iron and Steel Workers+55.5%
- 07Sheet Metal Workers+55.5%
- 08Brickmasons and Blockmasons+55.5%
- 09Glaziers+55.5%
- 10Heavy Equipment Operators+55.5%
- 11Insulation Workers+55.5%
- 12Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers+52.0%
- 13HVAC Technicians+37.8%
- 14Automotive Service Technicians+37.8%
- 15Maintenance & Repair Workers+37.8%
- 16Welders+22.9%
Median usual weekly earnings from the 2025 BLS Current Population Survey, union membership annual release (Table 4): full-time wage and salary workers, sole or principal job. BLS publishes union-earnings figures for the broader group “Construction and extraction occupations”; these premiums are national and are not published by city. All self-employed workers are excluded. 2025 is an 11-month average (October not collected during the federal shutdown).
Related trades
Related trades to compare
Entry difficulty: Job Zone 2: very little to some preparation needed.
O*NET lists these occupations as related to insulation workers, ranked by national median pay. Each link shows the same Seattle page for that trade.
- Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters$30.67/hr US median
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers$30.18/hr US median
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons$29.87/hr US median
- Sheet Metal Workers$29.71/hr US median
- Roofers$26.65/hr US median
Related occupations and Job Zones: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor.
Pay by industry
Where insulation workers earn the most
Top 8 of 13 published industries by national median hourly pay. These are national figures, not Seattle pay.
Industry pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Industries with suppressed BLS figures are not listed.
Insulation Workers: compare two cities
Pick any two cities to compare insulation workers pay side by side: nominal medians, the middle-50% spread, and cost-of-living adjusted figures.
City cmp.
Seattle
WA · Insulation Workers
n/a/hr
Median hourly pay
- Jobs in the city
- n/a
- Cost-of-living adjustednew
- n/a
Adjusted with BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (index 111.1; US avg = 100). Nominal BLS figures unchanged above.
City cmp.
New York
NY · Insulation Workers
$33.99/hr
Median hourly pay
p25 $26.76p75 $46.90
- Jobs in the city
- 1,100
- Cost-of-living adjustednew
- $30.20/hr
Adjusted with BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (index 112.6; US avg = 100). Nominal BLS figures unchanged above.
Relocation
Moving to New York for work as an insulation worker?
Compare free quotes from licensed movers.
Get moving quotesSponsored link
Openings
Find insulation workers jobs in Seattle
Job boards carry current openings with posted pay. Use the BLS figures above to judge whether an offer is fair.
What insulation workers in Seattle say they make
Checking for worker-submitted rates…
The Paycheck
Get the monthly pay email
One email a month: the biggest pay moves, new data updates, and one featured city. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Frequently asked questions about insulation workers pay in Seattle
Where does Trade Salaries get its pay data?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release: an employer survey covering millions of workers. Worker-submitted figures come from tradespeople who anonymously shared their pay on this site.
What is the difference between median and mean pay?
The median is the middle of the pay scale: half of insulation workers in Seattle earn more, half earn less. The mean is the arithmetic average, which a few very high earners can pull upward. When comparing job offers, the median is the more useful number.
What do pay percentiles (p10, p25, p75, p90) mean?
They mark points on the pay scale. Ten percent of workers earn less than p10. A quarter earn less than p25 and a quarter earn more than p75. Ten percent earn more than p90. The p25 to p75 range covers the middle half of workers, a realistic band for experienced hires.
Has insulation workers pay in Seattle changed since last year?
The BLS has not published figures for both years for this trade and city combination, so no year-over-year change is shown.
What is a location quotient?
The BLS did not publish a location quotient for this trade and city combination. Location quotients measure how concentrated a trade is locally: above 1.0 means over-represented versus the US average, below 1.0 means under-represented.
How are hourly and annual pay figures related?
BLS annual figures assume full-time, year-round work: 40 hours a week times 52 weeks, or 2,080 hours. The annual number is the hourly rate multiplied by 2,080. Overtime, bonuses, and unpaid time off are not included, so actual take-home pay varies with hours worked.
How current is the pay data?
The official figures are from BLS OEWS May 2025, the latest full release. The BLS publishes new wage data once a year, usually the following spring. Worker-submitted rates update continuously as people add them, and reflect current conditions more quickly than the annual survey.
How do I submit my pay anonymously?
Use the Add your rate form. It takes about 30 seconds and asks for no name, email, or account. Your trade, city, experience, and pay are all you enter. Submissions are reviewed before they appear publicly on the matching rate pages.
How do I become an insulation worker in Washington?
Through a registered apprenticeship: paid on-the-job training plus classroom instruction, typically lasting several years, with wages that rise as you learn. Washington had 19 active insulation worker apprentices in FY2024, #27 of 45 jurisdictions (DOL). Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov.
Do union insulation workers earn more?
Yes. In 2025, full-time union members in construction and extraction occupations earned a median of $1,561 a week versus $1,004 for nonunion workers, a +55.5% premium. These are national BLS figures; union contracts often add better benefits and overtime rules the wage figures don't capture.
Insulation Workers pay in other cities
How does Seattle compare nationally? See the 2026 state of trade pay report: fastest-growing wages, biggest city pay premiums, and union gaps, computed from official BLS data.