Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall
SOC Code: 47-2131
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall carries a 29% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $48,680 and +3.8% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 40,200 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 29% AI exposure, Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall sits 8 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 27% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
56/100
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $48,680
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth C+ +3.8%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B 29% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall keeps an No credential bar (109 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
29% Lower than most lower than 73% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 47-2131) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors.
- 2. Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires.
- 3. 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.
- 4. Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement mortars.
- 5. Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles.
- 6. Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials.
- 7. Cover, seal, or finish insulated surfaces or access holes with plastic covers, canvas strips, sealants, tape, cement or asphalt mastic.
- 8. Read blueprints, and select appropriate insulation, based on space characteristics and the heat retaining or excluding characteristics of the material.
- 9. Remove old insulation, such as asbestos, following safety procedures.
- 10. Prepare surfaces for insulation application by brushing or spreading on adhesives, cement, or asphalt, or by attaching metal pins to surfaces.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Operation and Control
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Operations Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Complex Problem Solving
- Time Management
Knowledge Areas
- Building and Construction
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Transportation
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Design
- Education and Training
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall?
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall has an AI exposure score of 29%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall is projected to grow by 3.8% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 40,200 workers.
What skills are needed for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall?
Key skills for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall include Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, and others. Typical entry-level education is No formal educational credential.
How much do Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall earn?
The median annual wage for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall is $48,680, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall?
The typical entry-level education for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall is No formal educational credential. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall?
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (29% here).
- Anesthesiologists · AI exposure 29%
- Cooks, short order · AI exposure 29%
- Elevator and escalator installers and repairers · AI exposure 29%
- Fence erectors · AI exposure 29%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+3.8% here).
- Architectural and engineering managers · growth +3.8%
- Disc jockeys, except radio · growth +3.8%
- Facilities managers · growth +3.8%
- Fire inspectors and investigators · growth +3.8%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 43 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall's numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).