Insulation Installers in the Montgomery area earn a median of $49,610 a year, 3% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #42 of 106 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Auburn.
It's one of 4 Alabama metros with published pay for this trade; see insulation installers across Alabama.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for insulation installers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (2.9%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.9% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 14 one-person building equipment installation businesses averaging $87,000 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $66/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Montgomery scorecard for insulation installers Our calculation
Grades compare Montgomery with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($48,305).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Montgomery Our calculation
Prices in the Montgomery area run 10% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $55,318 would in a typical place, ranking #32 of 105 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What insulation installers do
Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors.
- Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires.
- Cover and line structures with blown or rolled forms of materials to insulate against cold, heat, or moisture, using saws, knives, rasps, trowels, blowers, or other tools and implements.
- Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement mortars.
- Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, insulation installer jobs are projected to grow 2.4% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 3,000 openings a year. About 2% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often insulation installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Alabama Official source
The main state licensing office in Alabama is the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for insulation installers.
Official Alabama licensing site ↗
Requirements for insulation installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, insulation installers have 312 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 3.6× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying AL metros for insulation installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HuntsvilleALABAMA · AL | $56,780 | $61,007 | 60 |
| MontgomeryALABAMA · AL | $49,610 | $55,318 | 70 |
| MobileALABAMA · AL | $48,300 | $54,825 | 90 |
| AuburnALABAMA · AL | $45,350 | $51,573 | 30 |
See every metro in Alabama.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Montgomery area's unemployment rate was 2.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just insulation installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Montgomery area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 83% drive alone, 0% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Montgomery area's population grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025 (385,406 → 388,747), ranking #258 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +1,789) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Montgomery
The Montgomery area has about 174,545 homes. 41% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. 67% of households own their home, and the median home value is $220,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Montgomery are up 6% from 2021 to 2025 (1,014 → 1,073).
In 2025 the Montgomery area approved permits for 1,073 new homes (809 single-family), or 2.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #234 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 14 one-person businesses (no employees) in building equipment installation, averaging $87,000 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 17 building equipment installation companies that have employees (about 182 workers in total). 53% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $49,610 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get insulation installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Montgomery with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.