Insulation Workers, Mechanical

Moderate Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
27% automation risk | Low Risk
Higher growth More jobs
21.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Builds on ductwork and mechanical-system familiarity with added HVAC training.

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians
21% automation risk | Low Risk
Higher growth
27.1 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Transfers jobsite hazard and protective-material awareness into safety support work.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
26% automation risk | Low Risk
More jobs
22 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Builds on pipe and mechanical-system exposure with a more formal trade pathway.

Weatherization Installers and Technicians
35% automation risk | Low Risk
More jobs
13.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Directly reuses insulation, air sealing, and energy-efficiency retrofit skills.

Hazardous Materials Removal Workers
28% automation risk | Low Risk
More jobs
20.3 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Fits workers with insulation-site safety experience who add asbestos or hazmat credentials.

Compare this job with others
or search for another job
Share your results with friends and family.

Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
5.2/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

48% (Moderate Risk)

Moderate Risk (41-60%): This occupation may be meaningfully affected by automation. Some parts of the role may be suitable for AI, software, or robotics, while others still rely on human skill, judgement, trust, or real-world context. People in this range may benefit from building skills that complement automation and reduce replacement risk.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Thinking creatively

Quite important
Why this matters
Coming up with original ideas and designs—creating new concepts, products, systems, or artistic work. This kind of open-ended invention and taste-based judgment is harder to automate end-to-end than routine, rule-based tasks.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
Jobs that also use this strength

Education and training expertise

Quite important
Why this matters
Designing and delivering instruction—adapting lessons to different learners and measuring whether training actually works.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 14 votes

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Insulation Workers, Mechanical will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

Pay & outlook

Wages

Moderately paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Insulation Workers, Mechanical was $57,250 ($28 per hour).

The median annual wage for Insulation Workers, Mechanical was 15.7% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Fast growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Insulation Workers, Mechanical' job openings is expected to rise 4.7% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Lower range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 25,640 people employed as 'Insulation Workers, Mechanical' within the United States.

This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 6 thousand people are employed as 'Insulation Workers, Mechanical'.

People also viewed

Lawyers Computer Programmers Actors Accountants and Auditors Electricians

What people are saying (0)

Leave a reply about this occupation
0/8000

Job description

Apply insulating materials to pipes or ductwork, or other mechanical systems in order to help control and maintain temperature.

O*NET-SOC code: 47-2132.00