Insulation worker salary in Montana
Median $23.13 an hour for 490 insulation workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since n/a and the state's own outlook.
Insulation worker pay in Montana: the full range
Montana ranks 30th of 48 states for median insulation worker pay, and 27th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $24.45). 490 insulation workers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.3× what the bottom 10% earn.
| Career stage (approximate) | Hourly | Annual | Where it sits in the distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice / entry level | $17.79 – $20.54 | $36,990 – $42,720 | roughly the 10th to 25th percentile |
| Journeyman | $20.54 – $27.36 | $42,720 – $56,910 | the middle half, around the median |
| Master, foreman or specialist | $27.36 – $40.07 | $56,910 – $83,340 | the 75th to 90th percentile and above |
Where does your pay fall?
Insulation worker pay by metro in Montana
| Metro | 10th | Median $/hr | Cost-of-living adjusted | 90th | Jobs | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | $18.34 | $24.14 | $25.82 | $41.35 | 70 | 4% above |
| Helena | $17.99 | $22.75 | $23.77 | $44.72 | 60 | 2% 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 Montana?
BLS counted 490 insulation workers in Montana in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 15%. 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 Montana
Montana's labor market agency projects the number of insulation workers in the state to change by +20.0% between 2024 and 2034, from 510 to 610, with about 50 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 490 counted by the BLS employer survey.
Source: Montana 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 Montana
On federally funded construction in Montana, contractors must pay insulation workers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 55 of the 56 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $65.68 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $25.09). 1 of the 56 counties still use a survey rate dated 2011 or earlier (for example Richland County at $25.09). The market median for the state is $23.13.
| County | Rate source | Base | Fringe | Total | Determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaverhead | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260025 |
| Big Horn | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260056 |
| Blaine | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260026 |
| Broadwater | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260027 |
| Carbon | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260061 |
| Carter | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Cascade | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260062 |
| Chouteau | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Custer | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Daniels | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260028 |
| Dawson | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260029 |
| Deer Lodge | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260030 |
| Fallon | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Fergus | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260031 |
| Flathead | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260032 |
| Gallatin | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260033 |
| Garfield | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Glacier | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260034 |
| Golden Valley | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260035 |
| Granite | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260036 |
| Hill | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260037 |
| Jefferson | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260038 |
| Judith Basin | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Lake | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260039 |
| Lewis and Clark | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260040 |
| Liberty | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Lincoln | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260041 |
| McCone | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260043 |
| Madison | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260042 |
| Meagher | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260059 |
| Mineral | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260044 |
| Missoula | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260063 |
| Musselshell | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Park | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260045 |
| Petroleum | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260046 |
| Phillips | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Pondera | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260047 |
| Powder River | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Powell | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260048 |
| Prairie | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260056 |
| Ravalli | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260060 |
| Roosevelt | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260050 |
| Rosebud | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Sanders | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260060 |
| Sheridan | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260051 |
| Silver Bow | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260052 |
| Stillwater | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260053 |
| Sweet Grass | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Teton | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Toole | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Treasure | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260054 |
| Valley | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260057 |
| Wheatland | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260058 |
| Wibaux | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260055 |
| Yellowstone | Union ASBE0082-002 2024-08-01 | $43.81 | $21.87 | $65.68 | MT20260064 |
| Richland | Survey SUMT2011-025 2011-01-04 | $18.67 | $6.42 | $25.09 | MT20260049 |
Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Montana prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.
Is construction work growing in Montana?
Keep comparing
Insulation worker pay in neighbouring states
Other trades in Montana
More on Montana
Questions this page answers
How much do insulation workers make in Montana?
The median insulation worker in Montana earned $23.13 an hour ($48,100 a year) in May 2025, 2% below the national median of $23.62. The middle half earn $20.54–$27.36; the top 10% earn more than $40.07.
Where does Montana rank for insulation worker pay?
Montana ranks 30th of 48 states for insulation worker pay, with a median of $23.13 an hour, and 27th after adjusting for Montana's cost of living (BEA price parity 94.6, US = 100).
What is the union insulation worker rate in Montana?
Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for insulation workers in 55 counties, with a typical package of $65.68 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.
How many insulation workers work in Montana?
BLS counted 490 insulation workers in Montana in May 2025, 1.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 3.36; 1.0 is the national average concentration).
Is insulation worker work growing in Montana?
Montana's labor market agency projects +20.0% growth for insulation workers between 2024 and 2034, from 510 to 610 jobs.
How many insulation worker openings a year are there in Montana?
Montana projects about 50 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, Montana 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: Montana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.