Skilled Wages

Insulation worker salary in Oregon

Median $28.95 an hour for 700 insulation workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since n/a and the state's own outlook.

$28.95/hrMedian hourly wageOregon, May data
$60,210/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$17.14 – $38.5310th to 90th percentilehourly range
700Jobs countedemployer survey

Insulation worker pay in Oregon: the full range

Wage percentiles, OregonMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrOregon: 10th $17.14 · 25th $23.79 · median $28.95 · 75th $34.84 · 90th $38.53Oregon$28.95$17.14$38.53United 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: Oregon vs United States, May 2025.

Oregon ranks 4th of 48 states for median insulation worker pay, and 8th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $28.00). 700 insulation workers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.2× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$17.14 – $23.79$35,660 – $49,490roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$23.79 – $34.84$49,490 – $72,470the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$34.84 – $38.53$72,470 – $80,140the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Insulation worker pay by metro in Oregon

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrMedford: $34.36Medford$34.36Portland: $29.31Portland$29.31Salem: $28.99Salem$28.99
Median hourly wage for insulation workers by metro area in Oregon, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Medford$19.65$34.36$33.89$62.145019% above
Portland$17.96$29.31$27.81$47.444501% above
Salem$17.31$28.99$27.98$34.84120about the same as

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 Oregon?

0.4Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.2× the US share, 18th of 47 states

BLS counted 700 insulation workers in Oregon 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 Oregon

+10.7%Projected growth in Oregon2024–2034, state agency
60Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
680Jobs in 2024760 projected for 2034
+2.4%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Oregon's labor market agency projects the number of insulation workers in the state to change by +10.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 680 to 760, with about 60 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.4% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 700 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Oregon 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 Oregon

On federally funded construction in Oregon, contractors must pay insulation workers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 36 of the 36 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $84.38 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $28.95.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ORBaker: $84.38 (union)Benton: $84.38 (union)Clackamas: $84.38 (union)Clatsop: $84.38 (union)Columbia: $84.38 (union)Coos: $84.38 (union)Crook: $84.38 (union)Curry: $84.38 (union)Deschutes: $84.38 (union)Douglas: $84.38 (union)Gilliam: $84.38 (union)Grant: $84.38 (union)Harney: $84.38 (union)Hood River: $84.38 (union)Jackson: $84.38 (union)Jefferson: $84.38 (union)Josephine: $84.38 (union)Klamath: $84.38 (union)Lake: $84.38 (union)Lane: $84.38 (union)Lincoln: $84.38 (union)Linn: $84.38 (union)Malheur: $84.38 (union)Marion: $84.38 (union)Morrow: $84.38 (union)Multnomah: $84.38 (union)Polk: $84.38 (union)Sherman: $84.38 (union)Tillamook: $84.38 (union)Umatilla: $84.38 (union)Union: $84.38 (union)Wallowa: $84.38 (union)Wasco: $84.38 (union)Washington: $84.38 (union)Wheeler: $84.38 (union)Yamhill: $84.38 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
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)$20$40$60$80$100/hrBenton (Oregon): market median $28.95, prevailing (union) $84.38, gap +$55.43Benton (Oregon)+$55.43Marion (Salem): market median $28.99, prevailing (union) $84.38, gap +$55.39Marion (Salem)+$55.39Clackamas (Portland): market median $29.31, prevailing (union) $84.38, gap +$55.07Clackamas (Portland)+$55.07Jackson (Medford): market median $34.36, prevailing (union) $84.38, gap +$50.02Jackson (Medford)+$50.02
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for insulation workers, metro counties in Oregon.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BakerUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260002
BentonUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260094
ClackamasUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260095
ClatsopUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260092
ColumbiaUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260096
CoosUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260082
CrookUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260083
CurryUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260084
DeschutesUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260097
DouglasUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260085
GilliamUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260093
GrantUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260093
HarneyUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260086
Hood RiverUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260087
JacksonUnion ASBE0036-003 2025-03-31$62.02$22.36$84.38OR20260103

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

Is construction work growing in Oregon?

117.9kConstruction jobsOregon, 2026-09
+3.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202625k50k75k100k125k150k19901995200020052010201520202025118kSep 2026
Construction employment in Oregon (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Insulation worker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Oregon

More on Oregon

Questions this page answers

How much do insulation workers make in Oregon?

The median insulation worker in Oregon earned $28.95 an hour ($60,210 a year) in May 2025, 23% above the national median of $23.62. The middle half earn $23.79–$34.84; the top 10% earn more than $38.53.

Where does Oregon rank for insulation worker pay?

Oregon ranks 4th of 48 states for insulation worker pay, with a median of $28.95 an hour, and 8th after adjusting for Oregon's cost of living (BEA price parity 103.4, US = 100).

What is the union insulation worker rate in Oregon?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for insulation workers in 36 counties, with a typical package of $84.38 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many insulation workers work in Oregon?

BLS counted 700 insulation workers in Oregon in May 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.25; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is insulation worker work growing in Oregon?

Oregon's labor market agency projects +10.7% growth for insulation workers between 2024 and 2034, from 680 to 760 jobs.

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

Oregon projects about 60 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, Oregon 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: Oregon labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.