Skilled Wages

Insulation worker salary in West Virginia

Median $17.01 an hour for 70 insulation workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since n/a and the state's own outlook.

$17.01/hrMedian hourly wageWest Virginia, May data
$35,390/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$16.63 – $28.5410th to 90th percentilehourly range
70Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Insulation worker pay in West Virginia: the full range

Wage percentiles, West VirginiaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40/hrWest Virginia: 10th $16.63 · 25th $16.93 · median $17.01 · 75th $23.19 · 90th $28.54West Virginia$17.01$16.63$28.54United 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: West Virginia vs United States, May 2025.

West Virginia ranks 48th of 48 states for median insulation worker pay, and 48th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $19.01). 70 insulation workers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$16.63 – $16.93$34,580 – $35,210roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$16.93 – $23.19$35,210 – $48,240the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$23.19 – $28.54$48,240 – $59,360the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Insulation worker pay by metro in West Virginia

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrHagerstown: $27.37Hagerstown$27.37Washington DC: $22.07Washington DC$22.07
Median hourly wage for insulation workers by metro area in West Virginia, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Hagerstown$17.31$27.37$29.06$36.894061% above
Washington DC$19.75$22.07$20.27$37.541,33030% above

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 West Virginia?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.3× the US share, 47th of 47 states

BLS counted 70 insulation workers in West Virginia in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 34%. 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 West Virginia

+16.7%Projected growth in West Virginia2024–2034, state agency
10Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
70Jobs in 202480 projected for 2034
+2.4%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

West Virginia's labor market agency projects the number of insulation workers in the state to change by +16.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 70 to 80, with about 10 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 70 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: West Virginia labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections, first of this trade's two occupation codes.

Union scale and prevailing wage for insulation workers in West Virginia

On federally funded construction in West Virginia, contractors must pay insulation workers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 53 of the 55 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $68.92 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $46.01). 2 of the 55 counties still use a survey rate dated 2012 or earlier (for example Hampshire County at $46.01). The market median for the state is $17.01.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, WVBarbour: $68.92 (union)Berkeley: $60.94 (union)Boone: $75.93 (union)Braxton: $68.92 (union)Brooke: $75.93 (union)Cabell: $75.93 (union)Calhoun: $68.92 (union)Clay: $75.93 (union)Doddridge: $75.93 (union)Fayette: $68.92 (union)Gilmer: $68.92 (union)Grant: $68.92 (union)Greenbrier: $68.92 (union)Hampshire: $46.01 (survey)Hancock: $75.93 (union)Hardy: $60.94 (union)Harrison: $75.93 (union)Jackson: $68.92 (union)Jefferson: $60.94 (union)Kanawha: $75.93 (union)Lewis: $68.92 (union)Lincoln: $75.93 (union)Logan: $68.92 (union)McDowell: $68.92 (union)Marion: $75.93 (union)Marshall: $75.93 (union)Mason: $68.92 (union)Mercer: $68.92 (union)Mineral: $75.93 (union)Mingo: $68.92 (union)Monongalia: $75.93 (union)Monroe: $68.92 (union)Morgan: $46.01 (survey)Nicholas: $68.92 (union)Ohio: $75.93 (union)Pendleton: $68.92 (union)Pleasants: $75.93 (union)Pocahontas: $68.92 (union)Preston: $75.93 (union)Putnam: $75.93 (union)Raleigh: $68.92 (union)Randolph: $68.92 (union)Ritchie: $68.92 (union)Roane: $68.92 (union)Summers: $68.92 (union)Taylor: $75.93 (union)Tucker: $75.93 (union)Tyler: $75.93 (union)Upshur: $68.92 (union)Wayne: $75.93 (union)Webster: $68.92 (union)Wetzel: $75.93 (union)Wirt: $75.93 (union)Wood: $75.93 (union)Wyoming: $68.92 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$68.92survey 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$20$40$60$80$100/hrBoone (West Virginia): market median $17.01, prevailing (union) $75.93, gap +$58.92Boone (West Virginia)+$58.92Jefferson (Washington DC): market median $22.07, prevailing (union) $60.94, gap +$38.87Jefferson (Washington DC)+$38.87Berkeley (Hagerstown): market median $27.37, prevailing (union) $60.94, gap +$33.57Berkeley (Hagerstown)+$33.57
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for insulation workers, metro counties in West Virginia.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BooneUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260049
BrookeUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260050
CabellUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260035
ClayUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260049
DoddridgeUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260005
HancockUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260050
HarrisonUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260011
KanawhaUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260038
LincolnUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260039
MarionUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260015
MarshallUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260040
MineralUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260041
MonongaliaUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260042
OhioUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260044
PleasantsUnion ASBE0002-002 2024-08-01$46.50$29.43$75.93WV20260045

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

Is construction work growing in West Virginia?

35.2kConstruction jobsWest Virginia, 2026-09
-5.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k30k40k50k60k1990199520002005201020152020202535kSep 2026
Construction employment in West Virginia (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Insulation worker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in West Virginia

More on West Virginia

Questions this page answers

How much do insulation workers make in West Virginia?

The median insulation worker in West Virginia earned $17.01 an hour ($35,390 a year) in May 2025, 28% below the national median of $23.62. The middle half earn $16.93–$23.19; the top 10% earn more than $28.54.

Where does West Virginia rank for insulation worker pay?

West Virginia ranks 48th of 48 states for insulation worker pay, with a median of $17.01 an hour, and 48th after adjusting for West Virginia's cost of living (BEA price parity 89.5, US = 100).

What is the union insulation worker rate in West Virginia?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for insulation workers in 53 counties, with a typical package of $68.92 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many insulation workers work in West Virginia?

BLS counted 70 insulation workers in West Virginia in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.33; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is insulation worker work growing in West Virginia?

West Virginia's labor market agency projects +16.7% growth for insulation workers between 2024 and 2034, from 70 to 80 jobs.

How many insulation worker openings a year are there in West Virginia?

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