Skilled Wages

Insulation worker salary in California

Median $23.48 an hour for 3,080 insulation workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since n/a and the state's own outlook.

$23.48/hrMedian hourly wageCalifornia, May data
$48,840/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.07 – $50.6910th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,080Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Insulation worker pay in California: the full range

Wage percentiles, CaliforniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrCalifornia: 10th $19.07 · 25th $21.78 · median $23.48 · 75th $35.41 · 90th $50.69California$23.48$19.07$50.69United States: 10th $17.80 · 25th $20.77 · median $23.62 · 75th $29.32 · 90th $37.59United States$23.62
Hourly wage percentiles for insulation workers: California vs United States, May 2025.

California ranks 24th of 48 states for median insulation worker pay, and 44th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $21.21). 3,080 insulation workers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$19.07 – $21.78$39,660 – $45,300roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$21.78 – $35.41$45,300 – $73,660the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$35.41 – $50.69$73,660 – $105,440the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Insulation worker pay by metro in California

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrSan Francisco: $36.62San Francisco$36.62Oxnard: $31.70Oxnard$31.70San Jose: $28.31San Jose$28.31Los Angeles: $23.30Los Angeles$23.30Sacramento: $23.23Sacramento$23.23Riverside: $22.52Riverside$22.52Visalia: $17.87Visalia$17.87
Median hourly wage for insulation workers by metro area in California, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
San Francisco$21.69$36.62$31.68$57.6537056% above
Oxnard$21.17$31.70$28.69$49.905035% above
San Jose$23.86$28.31$25.64$59.0619021% above
Los Angeles$19.16$23.30$20.51$50.698301% below
Sacramento$19.06$23.23$21.77$36.331701% below
Riverside$18.48$22.52$21.17$40.354804% below
Visalia$17.87$17.87$17.91$26.34—24% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Are there more insulation worker jobs in California?

0.2Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.6× the US share, 41st of 47 states

BLS counted 3,080 insulation workers in California in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 23%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for insulation workers in California

+3.1%Projected growth in California2024–2034, state agency
270Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
3,200Jobs in 20243,300 projected for 2034
+2.4%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

California's labor market agency projects the number of insulation workers in the state to change by +3.1% between 2024 and 2034, from 3,200 to 3,300, with about 270 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 3,080 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: California labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page), first of this trade's two occupation codes.

Union scale and prevailing wage for insulation workers in California

On federally funded construction in California, contractors must pay insulation workers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 52 of the 57 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $89.63 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $27.21). 5 of the 57 counties still use a survey rate dated 1985 or earlier (for example Amador County at $30.46). The market median for the state is $23.48.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, CAAlameda: $89.63 (union)Alpine: $109.83 (union)Amador: $30.46 (survey)Butte: $109.83 (union)Calaveras: $89.63 (union)Colusa: $109.83 (union)Contra Costa: $89.63 (union)Del Norte: $27.21 (survey)El Dorado: $109.83 (union)Fresno: $89.63 (union)Glenn: $109.83 (union)Humboldt: $27.21 (survey)Imperial: $60.59 (union)Inyo: $89.63 (union)Kern: $89.63 (union)Kings: $89.63 (union)Lake: $27.21 (survey)Lassen: $109.83 (union)Los Angeles: $60.59 (union)Madera: $89.63 (union)Marin: $109.83 (union)Mariposa: $89.63 (union)Mendocino: $27.21 (survey)Merced: $89.63 (union)Modoc: $109.83 (union)Mono: $89.63 (union)Monterey: $89.63 (union)Napa: $109.83 (union)Nevada: $109.83 (union)Orange: $60.59 (union)Placer: $109.83 (union)Plumas: $109.83 (union)Riverside: $60.59 (union)Sacramento: $109.83 (union)San Benito: $89.63 (union)San Bernardino: $60.59 (union)San Diego: $82.84 (union)San Francisco: $89.63 (union)San Joaquin: $89.63 (union)San Luis Obispo: $60.59 (union)San Mateo: $89.63 (union)Santa Barbara: $60.59 (union)Santa Clara: $89.63 (union)Santa Cruz: $89.63 (union)Shasta: $109.83 (union)Sierra: $109.83 (union)Siskiyou: $109.83 (union)Solano: $109.83 (union)Sonoma: $109.83 (union)Stanislaus: $89.63 (union)Sutter: $109.83 (union)Tehama: $109.83 (union)Trinity: $109.83 (union)Tulare: n/aTuolumne: $89.63 (union)Ventura: $60.59 (union)Yolo: $109.83 (union)Yuba: $109.83 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$60.59$89.63$101.75n/asurvey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for insulation workers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$0$50$100$150/hrEl Dorado (Sacramento): market median $23.23, prevailing (union) $109.83, gap +$86.60El Dorado (Sacramento)+$86.60Butte (California): market median $23.48, prevailing (union) $109.83, gap +$86.35Butte (California)+$86.35Marin (San Francisco): market median $36.62, prevailing (union) $109.83, gap +$73.21Marin (San Francisco)+$73.21San Benito (San Jose): market median $28.31, prevailing (union) $89.63, gap +$61.32San Benito (San Jose)+$61.32Riverside (Riverside): market median $22.52, prevailing (union) $60.59, gap +$38.07Riverside (Riverside)+$38.07Los Angeles (Los Angeles): market median $23.30, prevailing (union) $60.59, gap +$37.29Los Angeles (Los Angeles)+$37.29Ventura (Oxnard): market median $31.70, prevailing (union) $60.59, gap +$28.89Ventura (Oxnard)+$28.89
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for insulation workers, metro counties in California.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AlpineUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
ButteUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
ColusaUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
El DoradoUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
GlennUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
LassenUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
MarinUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
ModocUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
NapaUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
NevadaUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
PlacerUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
PlumasUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
SacramentoUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
ShastaUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007
SierraUnion ASBE0016-001 2024-01-01$84.76$25.07$109.83CA20260007

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the California prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in California?

895.7kConstruction jobsCalifornia, 2026-09
-0.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026200k400k600k800k1,000k1,200k19901995200020052010201520202025896kSep 2026
Construction employment in California (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Insulation worker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in California

More on California

Questions this page answers

How much do insulation workers make in California?

The median insulation worker in California earned $23.48 an hour ($48,840 a year) in May 2025, 1% below the national median of $23.62. The middle half earn $21.78–$35.41; the top 10% earn more than $50.69.

Where does California rank for insulation worker pay?

California ranks 24th of 48 states for insulation worker pay, with a median of $23.48 an hour, and 44th after adjusting for California's cost of living (BEA price parity 110.7, US = 100).

What is the union insulation worker rate in California?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for insulation workers in 52 counties, with a typical package of $89.63 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many insulation workers work in California?

BLS counted 3,080 insulation workers in California in May 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.59; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is insulation worker work growing in California?

California's labor market agency projects +3.1% growth for insulation workers between 2024 and 2034, from 3,200 to 3,300 jobs.

How many insulation worker openings a year are there in California?

California projects about 270 openings a year for insulation workers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 3,000 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, California and metro areas, SOC 47-2131, 47-2132. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: California labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.