Skilled Wages

Insulation worker salary in Illinois

Median $25.48 an hour for 780 insulation workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since n/a and the state's own outlook.

$25.48/hrMedian hourly wageIllinois, May data
$53,000/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.11 – $45.7610th to 90th percentilehourly range
780Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Insulation worker pay in Illinois: the full range

Wage percentiles, IllinoisMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrIllinois: 10th $18.11 · 25th $22.33 · median $25.48 · 75th $34.63 · 90th $45.76Illinois$25.48$18.11$45.76United 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: Illinois vs United States, May 2025.

Illinois ranks 15th of 48 states for median insulation worker pay, and 20th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $25.48). 780 insulation workers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.5× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.11 – $22.33$37,660 – $46,440roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$22.33 – $34.63$46,440 – $72,030the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$34.63 – $45.76$72,030 – $95,180the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Insulation worker pay by metro in Illinois

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrSt. Louis: $28.39St. Louis$28.39Chicago: $28.29Chicago$28.29Rockford: $23.91Rockford$23.91
Median hourly wage for insulation workers by metro area in Illinois, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
St. Louis$21.79$28.39$29.85$43.7252011% above
Chicago$20.70$28.29$27.31$45.7660011% above
Rockford$18.33$23.91$25.93$36.23406% 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 Illinois?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.5× the US share, 45th of 47 states

BLS counted 780 insulation workers in Illinois in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 21%. 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 Illinois

+4.1%Projected growth in Illinois2024–2034, state agency
90Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
1,060Jobs in 20241,100 projected for 2034
+2.4%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Illinois's labor market agency projects the number of insulation workers in the state to change by +4.1% between 2024 and 2034, from 1,060 to 1,100, with about 90 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 780 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Illinois 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 Illinois

On federally funded construction in Illinois, contractors must pay insulation workers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 99 of the 99 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $84.03 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $25.48.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ILAdams: $84.03 (union)Alexander: $66.98 (union)Bond: $84.03 (union)Boone: $84.03 (union)Brown: $84.03 (union)Bureau: $84.03 (union)Calhoun: $84.03 (union)Carroll: $84.03 (union)Cass: $84.03 (union)Champaign: $66.98 (union)Christian: $66.98 (union)Clark: $66.98 (union)Clay: $66.98 (union)Clinton: $84.03 (union)Coles: $66.98 (union)Cook: $90.77 (union)Crawford: $66.98 (union)Cumberland: $66.98 (union)DeKalb: $84.03 (union)De Witt: $66.98 (union)Douglas: $66.98 (union)DuPage: $90.77 (union)Edgar: $66.98 (union)Edwards: $66.98 (union)Effingham: $66.98 (union)Fayette: $66.98 (union)Ford: $66.98 (union)Franklin: $66.98 (union)Fulton: $84.03 (union)Gallatin: $66.98 (union)Greene: $84.03 (union)Grundy: $90.77 (union)Hamilton: $66.98 (union)Hancock: $84.03 (union)Hardin: $66.98 (union)Henderson: $84.03 (union)Henry: $84.03 (union)Iroquois: $66.98 (union)Jackson: $66.98 (union)Jasper: $66.98 (union)Jefferson: $66.98 (union)Jersey: $84.03 (union)Jo Daviess: $84.03 (union)Johnson: $66.98 (union)Kane: $90.77 (union)Kankakee: $90.77 (union)Kendall: $90.77 (union)Knox: $84.03 (union)Lake: $90.77 (union)LaSalle: $84.03 (union)Lawrence: $66.98 (union)Lee: $84.03 (union)Livingston: $84.03 (union)Logan: $84.03 (union)McDonough: $84.03 (union)McHenry: $90.77 (union)McLean: $84.03 (union)Macon: n/aMacoupin: $84.03 (union)Madison: $70.72 (union)Marion: $66.98 (union)Marshall: $84.03 (union)Mason: $84.03 (union)Massac: $66.98 (union)Menard: $84.03 (union)Mercer: $84.03 (union)Monroe: $84.03 (union)Montgomery: $84.03 (union)Morgan: $84.03 (union)Moultrie: $66.98 (union)Ogle: $84.03 (union)Peoria: n/aPerry: $66.98 (union)Piatt: $66.98 (union)Pike: $84.03 (union)Pope: $66.98 (union)Pulaski: $66.98 (union)Putnam: $84.03 (union)Randolph: $84.03 (union)Richland: $66.98 (union)Rock Island: $84.03 (union)St. Clair: $70.72 (union)Saline: $66.98 (union)Sangamon: $70.72 (union)Schuyler: $84.03 (union)Scott: $84.03 (union)Shelby: $66.98 (union)Stark: $84.03 (union)Stephenson: $84.03 (union)Tazewell: n/aUnion: $66.98 (union)Vermilion: $66.98 (union)Wabash: $66.98 (union)Warren: $84.03 (union)Washington: $84.03 (union)Wayne: $66.98 (union)White: $66.98 (union)Whiteside: $84.03 (union)Will: $90.77 (union)Williamson: $66.98 (union)Winnebago: $84.03 (union)Woodford: $84.03 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$84.03n/a
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$20$40$60$80$100/hrKankakee (Illinois): market median $25.48, prevailing (union) $90.77, gap +$65.29Kankakee (Illinois)+$65.29Cook (Chicago): market median $28.29, prevailing (union) $90.77, gap +$62.48Cook (Chicago)+$62.48Boone (Rockford): market median $23.91, prevailing (union) $84.03, gap +$60.12Boone (Rockford)+$60.12Bond (St. Louis): market median $28.39, prevailing (union) $84.03, gap +$55.64Bond (St. Louis)+$55.64
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for insulation workers, metro counties in Illinois.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
CookUnion ASBE0017-001 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260009
DuPageUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
GrundyUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
KaneUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
KankakeeUnion ASBE0017-004 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260006
KendallUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
LakeUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
McHenryUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
WillUnion ASBE0017-005 2024-06-01$55.02$35.75$90.77IL20260008
AdamsUnion ASBE0019-003 2025-06-01$45.88$38.15$84.03IL20260001
BondUnion ASBE0019-003 2025-06-01$45.88$38.15$84.03IL20260001
BooneUnion ASBE0019-003 2025-06-01$45.88$38.15$84.03IL20260001
BrownUnion ASBE0019-003 2025-06-01$45.88$38.15$84.03IL20260001
BureauUnion ASBE0019-003 2025-06-01$45.88$38.15$84.03IL20260001
CalhounUnion ASBE0019-003 2025-06-01$45.88$38.15$84.03IL20260001

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

Is construction work growing in Illinois?

268.8kConstruction jobsIllinois, 2026-09
+6.5%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k350k19901995200020052010201520202025269kSep 2026
Construction employment in Illinois (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Insulation worker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Illinois

More on Illinois

Questions this page answers

How much do insulation workers make in Illinois?

The median insulation worker in Illinois earned $25.48 an hour ($53,000 a year) in May 2025, 8% above the national median of $23.62. The middle half earn $22.33–$34.63; the top 10% earn more than $45.76.

Where does Illinois rank for insulation worker pay?

Illinois ranks 15th of 48 states for insulation worker pay, with a median of $25.48 an hour, and 20th after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.0, US = 100).

What is the union insulation worker rate in Illinois?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for insulation workers in 99 counties, with a typical package of $84.03 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many insulation workers work in Illinois?

BLS counted 780 insulation workers in Illinois in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.45; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is insulation worker work growing in Illinois?

Illinois's labor market agency projects +4.1% growth for insulation workers between 2024 and 2034, from 1,060 to 1,100 jobs.

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

Illinois projects about 90 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, Illinois 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: Illinois labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.