Where a solo insulation installer business has the most room Our calculation
Lewiston, ME ranks first. One-person building equipment installation businesses there average $302,667 a year in revenue, with 0.6 building equipment installation businesses for every 10,000 residents (typical metro: 0.9). We scored all 105 metros where the Census publishes building equipment installation business counts.
- 1LewistonMAINE · ME · $302,667 avg solo revenue · 0.6 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident86
- 2KennewickWASHINGTON · WA · $109,200 avg solo revenue · 0.6 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident83
- 3OgdenUTAH · UT · $110,704 avg solo revenue · 0.7 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident83
- 4PortlandMAINE · ME · $140,091 avg solo revenue · 0.8 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth80
- 5OlympiaWASHINGTON · WA · $130,250 avg solo revenue · 0.6 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident79
- 6Mount VernonWASHINGTON · WA · $185,200 avg solo revenue · 0.6 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident79
- 7Fort CollinsCOLORADO · CO · $161,360 avg solo revenue · 0.9 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth79
- 8PhoenixARIZONA · AZ · $101,799 avg solo revenue · 0.8 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth77
- 9BridgeportCONNECTICUT · CT · $127,414 avg solo revenue · 0.7 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident76
- 10CharlestonSOUTH CAROLINA · SC · $119,945 avg solo revenue · 1.0 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth76
- 11SalemOREGON · OR · $125,867 avg solo revenue · 0.6 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident75
- 12HagerstownMARYLAND · MD · $129,417 avg solo revenue · 0.9 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth74
- 13GreenvilleSOUTH CAROLINA · SC · $108,491 avg solo revenue · 0.9 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth74
- 14JacksonvilleFLORIDA · FL · $108,198 avg solo revenue · 0.9 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fast population growth74
- 15San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA · $130,734 avg solo revenue · 0.5 building equipment installation businesses per 10k residents · Strong on higher solo revenue and fewer competitors per resident74
Weights: average solo revenue 3, fewer competitors per resident 3, revenue compared with the local employee wage 2, new home permits 2, population growth 1. Each factor is a percentile among these metros.
Top 5 by each factor Government data
Highest solo revenue
- Lewiston, ME: $302,667
- Salisbury, MD: $215,167
- Mount Vernon, WA: $185,200
- Fort Collins, CO: $161,360
- Pensacola, FL: $141,812
Least competition
- San Jose, CA: 0.5 per 10k residents
- Albuquerque, NM: 0.5 per 10k residents
- Olympia, WA: 0.6 per 10k residents
- Kennewick, WA: 0.6 per 10k residents
- Salem, OR: 0.6 per 10k residents
Most new building
- Wilmington, NC: 16.8 home permits per 1k
- Savannah, GA: 12.8 home permits per 1k
- Raleigh, NC: 11.8 home permits per 1k
- Orlando, FL: 10.0 home permits per 1k
- Nashville, TN: 9.2 home permits per 1k
Fastest-growing population
- Wilmington, NC: +15.9%
- Raleigh, NC: +12.6%
- Huntsville, AL: +12.5%
- Jacksonville, FL: +10.7%
- Charleston, SC: +10.7%
Every metro Government data
Click a column to sort. “Rate to match it” is the hourly rate you'd need to bill to replace the local employee median, at our default assumptions (25% for tax and benefits, $30,000 overhead, 1,400 billable hours). Try your own numbers in the rate calculator.
| # | Metro | Score | Solo revenue | Businesses / 10k people | Employee median | Rate to match it | Permits / 1k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewiston, ME | 86 | $302,667 | 0.6 | $47,870 | $64/hr | 4.0 |
| 2 | Kennewick, WA | 83 | $109,200 | 0.6 | $60,730 | $76/hr | 7.8 |
| 3 | Ogden, UT | 83 | $110,704 | 0.7 | $39,110 | $56/hr | 5.5 |
| 4 | Portland, ME | 80 | $140,091 | 0.8 | $48,000 | $64/hr | 6.2 |
| 5 | Olympia, WA | 79 | $130,250 | 0.6 | $76,610 | $90/hr | 5.6 |
| 6 | Mount Vernon, WA | 79 | $185,200 | 0.6 | $62,710 | $77/hr | 2.8 |
| 7 | Fort Collins, CO | 79 | $161,360 | 0.9 | $49,320 | $65/hr | 6.6 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | 77 | $101,799 | 0.8 | $42,320 | $59/hr | 7.9 |
| 9 | Bridgeport, CT | 76 | $127,414 | 0.7 | $48,740 | $65/hr | 3.6 |
| 10 | Charleston, SC | 76 | $119,945 | 1.0 | $40,120 | $57/hr | 8.7 |
| 11 | Salem, OR | 75 | $125,867 | 0.6 | $60,290 | $75/hr | 3.2 |
| 12 | Hagerstown, MD | 74 | $129,417 | 0.9 | $56,930 | $72/hr | 5.4 |
| 13 | Greenville, SC | 74 | $108,491 | 0.9 | $47,350 | $64/hr | 8.6 |
| 14 | Jacksonville, FL | 74 | $108,198 | 0.9 | $46,740 | $63/hr | 8.0 |
| 15 | San Jose, CA | 74 | $130,734 | 0.5 | $58,890 | $74/hr | 2.8 |
| 16 | Columbia, SC | 73 | $103,096 | 0.8 | $50,750 | $67/hr | 7.1 |
| 17 | Pensacola, FL | 72 | $141,812 | 1.0 | $45,680 | $62/hr | 6.3 |
| 18 | Atlantic City, NJ | 72 | $105,100 | 0.7 | $46,180 | $63/hr | 4.3 |
| 19 | Washington, DC | 68 | $96,773 | 0.6 | $45,900 | $62/hr | 2.8 |
| 20 | Nashville, TN | 67 | $110,457 | 1.1 | $54,400 | $70/hr | 9.2 |
| 21 | Wichita, KS | 66 | $95,233 | 0.7 | $51,520 | $67/hr | 4.8 |
| 22 | Salisbury, MD | 66 | $215,167 | 0.8 | $58,420 | $74/hr | 1.6 |
| 23 | Minneapolis, MN | 65 | $103,468 | 0.7 | $58,240 | $73/hr | 3.9 |
| 24 | Seattle, WA | 65 | $103,812 | 0.6 | $71,980 | $86/hr | 3.9 |
| 25 | Rochester, NY | 65 | $126,440 | 0.7 | $55,960 | $71/hr | 1.7 |
| 26 | Jackson, MI | 64 | $105,750 | 0.7 | $45,330 | $62/hr | 1.9 |
| 27 | Portland, OR | 64 | $101,811 | 0.6 | $60,960 | $76/hr | 3.3 |
| 28 | Tallahassee, FL | 64 | $91,192 | 0.8 | $47,120 | $64/hr | 7.0 |
| 29 | Sacramento, CA | 63 | $92,600 | 0.8 | $48,310 | $65/hr | 4.4 |
| 30 | Colorado Springs, CO | 63 | $97,800 | 0.9 | $59,440 | $74/hr | 7.6 |
| 31 | Lexington, KY | 61 | $106,219 | 1.0 | $43,470 | $60/hr | 4.5 |
| 32 | Raleigh, NC | 60 | $78,094 | 0.9 | $46,030 | $63/hr | 11.8 |
| 33 | Wilmington, NC | 58 | $82,973 | 1.3 | $37,720 | $55/hr | 16.8 |
| 34 | Lubbock, TX | 58 | $94,621 | 1.1 | $43,890 | $61/hr | 8.0 |
| 35 | Milwaukee, WI | 57 | $103,959 | 0.8 | $50,120 | $66/hr | 2.0 |
| 36 | Denver, CO | 56 | $101,429 | 1.1 | $51,740 | $68/hr | 5.3 |
| 37 | Allentown, PA | 56 | $117,175 | 1.0 | $41,620 | $59/hr | 2.3 |
| 38 | Norwich, CT | 56 | $131,450 | 1.0 | $47,510 | $64/hr | 1.6 |
| 39 | Corpus Christi, TX | 55 | $113,119 | 1.3 | $47,770 | $64/hr | 4.7 |
| 40 | Dallas, TX | 55 | $86,548 | 1.2 | $49,930 | $66/hr | 8.3 |
| 41 | York, PA | 55 | $82,000 | 0.8 | $49,280 | $65/hr | 3.4 |
| 42 | Greensboro, NC | 53 | $83,732 | 0.9 | $46,500 | $63/hr | 4.9 |
| 43 | Montgomery, AL | 53 | $87,000 | 0.8 | $49,610 | $66/hr | 2.8 |
| 44 | Huntsville, AL | 53 | $57,394 | 0.8 | $56,780 | $72/hr | 8.7 |
| 45 | Anchorage, AK | 53 | $96,294 | 0.7 | $55,800 | $71/hr | 0.7 |
| 46 | Memphis, TN | 52 | $93,241 | 0.9 | $47,270 | $64/hr | 2.5 |
| 47 | Cincinnati, OH | 52 | $96,076 | 0.9 | $58,360 | $74/hr | 3.2 |
| 48 | Albany, NY | 51 | $85,028 | 0.7 | $57,190 | $72/hr | 2.3 |
| 49 | Baltimore, MD | 51 | $95,888 | 0.7 | $63,200 | $78/hr | 2.0 |
| 50 | Grand Rapids, MI | 51 | $91,985 | 1.0 | $47,220 | $64/hr | 3.7 |
| 51 | St. Louis, MO | 50 | $96,409 | 0.8 | $59,040 | $74/hr | 2.2 |
| 52 | Savannah, GA | 50 | $54,250 | 0.8 | $43,860 | $61/hr | 12.8 |
| 53 | Knoxville, TN | 50 | $70,860 | 0.9 | $48,380 | $65/hr | 8.4 |
| 54 | Auburn, AL | 50 | $68,467 | 0.9 | $45,350 | $62/hr | 7.9 |
| 55 | Indianapolis, IN | 50 | $85,978 | 1.0 | $59,290 | $74/hr | 5.4 |
| 56 | Little Rock, AR | 49 | $75,386 | 0.8 | $46,650 | $63/hr | 4.1 |
| 57 | Riverside, CA | 49 | $93,424 | 1.1 | $46,850 | $63/hr | 3.4 |
| 58 | Orlando, FL | 49 | $79,024 | 1.5 | $47,100 | $63/hr | 10.0 |
| 59 | Tulsa, OK | 48 | $81,841 | 1.1 | $47,420 | $64/hr | 5.0 |
| 60 | Los Angeles, CA | 47 | $86,017 | 0.8 | $48,470 | $65/hr | 2.1 |
| 61 | Charlotte, NC | 46 | $71,987 | 1.1 | $44,520 | $61/hr | 8.0 |
| 62 | San Francisco, CA | 46 | $95,363 | 0.7 | $76,170 | $89/hr | 1.7 |
| 63 | Spokane, WA | 46 | $57,750 | 0.7 | $61,690 | $77/hr | 5.3 |
| 64 | Albuquerque, NM | 45 | $62,441 | 0.5 | $48,260 | $65/hr | 3.1 |
| 65 | Fargo, ND | 43 | $75,381 | 1.2 | $46,450 | $63/hr | 5.8 |
| 66 | Virginia Beach, VA | 43 | $64,205 | 0.6 | $43,730 | $60/hr | 2.2 |
| 67 | Philadelphia, PA | 43 | $78,788 | 0.8 | $50,320 | $66/hr | 2.1 |
| 68 | Sioux Falls, SD | 43 | $53,182 | 0.9 | $45,050 | $62/hr | 7.8 |
| 69 | Green Bay, WI | 42 | $56,455 | 0.8 | $49,310 | $65/hr | 4.3 |
| 70 | Pittsburgh, PA | 42 | $81,186 | 0.9 | $47,110 | $63/hr | 2.4 |
| 71 | Oxnard, CA | 42 | $90,000 | 0.8 | $65,930 | $80/hr | 1.9 |
| 72 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 42 | $62,348 | 1.2 | $36,530 | $54/hr | 8.2 |
| 73 | Kansas City, MO | 42 | $72,159 | 0.9 | $56,460 | $72/hr | 4.5 |
| 74 | Columbus, OH | 41 | $74,129 | 1.0 | $80,000 | $93/hr | 7.2 |
| 75 | Miami, FL | 40 | $86,564 | 2.1 | $48,470 | $65/hr | 3.8 |
| 76 | Detroit, MI | 40 | $87,730 | 1.0 | $46,390 | $63/hr | 2.0 |
| 77 | Columbia, MO | 40 | $40,750 | 0.7 | $46,000 | $62/hr | 3.8 |
| 78 | Atlanta, GA | 39 | $78,911 | 1.3 | $54,730 | $70/hr | 5.4 |
| 79 | Springfield, MO | 38 | $76,816 | 1.1 | $47,360 | $64/hr | 3.6 |
| 80 | Houston, TX | 38 | $63,920 | 1.4 | $48,140 | $64/hr | 8.7 |
| 81 | New York, NY | 36 | $88,089 | 1.0 | $61,730 | $77/hr | 2.2 |
| 82 | Barnstable Town, MA | 36 | $77,526 | 1.0 | $49,070 | $65/hr | 2.7 |
| 83 | Des Moines, IA | 36 | $49,294 | 1.0 | $70,410 | $84/hr | 8.5 |
| 84 | Baton Rouge, LA | 35 | $73,292 | 1.1 | $48,090 | $64/hr | 4.9 |
| 85 | Chicago, IL | 35 | $78,760 | 0.9 | $58,850 | $74/hr | 1.7 |
| 86 | Lafayette, LA | 33 | $65,651 | 1.3 | $44,080 | $61/hr | 5.0 |
| 87 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | 33 | $72,290 | 1.1 | $56,110 | $72/hr | 4.4 |
| 88 | San Antonio, TX | 33 | $64,390 | 1.2 | $47,070 | $63/hr | 4.0 |
| 89 | Rapid City, SD | 33 | $41,667 | 1.0 | $45,760 | $62/hr | 6.3 |
| 90 | Cheyenne, WY | 31 | $25,833 | 0.9 | $46,050 | $63/hr | 5.5 |
| 91 | Cleveland, OH | 31 | $75,602 | 1.0 | $47,340 | $64/hr | 1.9 |
| 92 | Buffalo, NY | 31 | $45,024 | 0.6 | $48,310 | $65/hr | 1.3 |
| 93 | Helena, MT | 30 | $74,700 | 1.4 | $47,330 | $64/hr | 2.3 |
| 94 | Mobile, AL | 30 | $51,952 | 0.8 | $48,300 | $65/hr | 2.7 |
| 95 | Utica, NY | 29 | $77,048 | 0.9 | $51,950 | $68/hr | 1.1 |
| 96 | Fort Wayne, IN | 27 | $31,591 | 0.9 | $45,340 | $62/hr | 3.6 |
| 97 | Syracuse, NY | 27 | $59,917 | 0.9 | $56,680 | $72/hr | 3.1 |
| 98 | Mansfield, OH | 26 | $73,000 | 1.0 | $45,980 | $62/hr | 0.9 |
| 99 | Billings, MT | 26 | $55,792 | 1.6 | $50,210 | $66/hr | 5.4 |
| 100 | Rockford, IL | 25 | $43,857 | 0.8 | $49,740 | $66/hr | 1.1 |
| 101 | Medford, OR | 22 | $59,059 | 1.1 | $71,470 | $85/hr | 4.2 |
| 102 | Lynchburg, VA | 20 | $35,286 | 1.2 | $38,230 | $56/hr | 4.2 |
| 103 | Sioux City, IA | 15 | $44,308 | 1.8 | $49,000 | $65/hr | 3.9 |
| 104 | Lancaster, PA | 13 | $43,638 | 1.3 | $46,640 | $63/hr | 2.3 |
| 105 | Beaumont, TX | 11 | $42,225 | 1.4 | $47,610 | $64/hr | 2.4 |
How to read this
Revenue is what one-person businesses take in before expenses, not take-home pay. A high figure with lots of competitors per resident usually means a busy but crowded market; a lower figure with few competitors can mean room to grow. Business counts come from the Census Nonemployer Statistics (2024) and County Business Patterns (2023), grouped as “building equipment installation”, so they include some firms outside the trade itself.
For pay as an employee in any of these cities, see the insulation installer salary overview or the best cities for insulation installers to work.
Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024; County Business Patterns 2023; Census Building Permits 2025; Census population estimates; BLS OEWS May 2025. Our data