Insulation workers, mechanical: pay, training and the programs that lead there
Construction trades · SOC 47-2132
$58,340US median pay, 2025
+5.1%Projected growth, 2025–35
1,800Openings per year
ApprenticeshipUsual way in
How you get in
Usually learned through a paid apprenticeship: you earn a wage while you train.
High school diploma or equivalent
Apprenticeship
Work in: insulation workers, mechanical
Programs that lead to this job
These are the federal program codes (CIP) that the Department of Education maps to this
occupation, and how many US colleges, community colleges or trade schools report awarding
credentials in each.
Typically no schooling after high school, then a paid apprenticeship, usually three to five years. That is the usual route rather than a rule — people arrive by other paths all the time.
How much do insulation workers, mechanical make?
The US median is $58,340 a year, meaning half earn more and half less. Pay varies widely by state, employer and experience.
Do you need a degree for this work?
No. Most people train through a paid apprenticeship and earn while they learn.
Where can you train for this work?
1 US colleges, community colleges and trade schools award credentials in a matching program. See which ones →
Pay and growth are national figures. What you earn depends on where you work,
your employer and your experience, and these are projections rather than promises. Education
requirements describe how most people enter the job, not a rule — plenty of people take another route.
Pay, growth, openings and entry requirements: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment
Projections 2025–35. Program-to-occupation mapping: NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk (2020/2018).
School counts: IPEDS completions, 2022–23.