Insulation cost by state: the Insulation Cost Index
By Insulation Report Editorial. Last reviewed 2026-08-09. How we research this.
In brief
Blowing a 1,200 square foot attic to R-49 with fiberglass models out at about $2,477 to $3,679 installed. That covers the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. It uses each state's BLS May 2025 trade wage, with material at store price. Your state moves that number less than most cost articles claim.
The low estimate runs from $2,477 in West Virginia to $2,866 in Washington. That is a spread of about 16 percent, or roughly $389. The reason is simple math. Material is about 78 percent of the national low estimate, and the same bag of blown fiberglass costs the same in every state.
So only the labor slice moves with where you live. Two inputs here are estimates, not measurements: the multiplier for what a worker costs beyond wages, and the crew hours. Treat every number as a bracket for checking quotes, not a price anyone owes you.
The reference job, and how each row is built
Every row prices the same job. A 1,200 square foot attic floor. Blown fiberglass to R-49. An open attic you can get into. No removal, no air sealing, material at store shelf price. We use that same job all over this site, so these rows line up directly with the national tables on the attic insulation cost page. One thing changes from row to row: the state's labor wage.
| Input | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Trade wage, by state | $19.62 to $37.64/hr | Measured. BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2131, Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling and Wall, mean hourly wage per state. Three jurisdictions derived, marked below |
| Burden multiplier | 2.0 to 3.0 times wage | Estimate. The ordinary construction range covering payroll tax, insurance, equipment, overhead and profit. Not a measurement |
| Crew hours | 9 to 12 per 1,000 sq ft | Estimate. Secondary trade guidance for a two-person crew |
| Material | 30.4 bags at $67.58 | Measured. Owens Corning AttiCat blown-in fiberglass, 27.5 lb bag, retail listing and manufacturer coverage at R-49, read 2026-08-07. A contractor buys below retail, so this line is conservative |
Because two inputs are estimates, every number below is a bracket, not a price. The per-bag and per-square-foot math behind the material line is on the blown-in insulation cost page. And the attic insulation calculator runs this same model on your own attic's size and target, instead of our standard job.
The index: all 51 jurisdictions, ranked
Ranked by the modeled low estimate, cheapest first. Each row carries an anchor, so you can
link straight to a state: add #state-texas or #state-new-york to
this page's address. Figures are model output in dollars; the false precision is the
model's, not a claim about your attic.
| State | Rank | BLS mean hourly | Installed low, 1,200 sq ft to R-49 | Installed high | Per sq ft | Wage basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 1 | $19.62 | $2,477 | $2,901 | $2.06 to $2.42 | Measured |
| Utah | 2 | $21.00 | $2,507 | $2,960 | $2.09 to $2.47 | Measured |
| North Carolina | 3 | $21.24 | $2,512 | $2,971 | $2.09 to $2.48 | Measured |
| Arkansas | 4 | $21.33 | $2,514 | $2,975 | $2.09 to $2.48 | Measured |
| Idaho | 5 | $21.34 | $2,514 | $2,975 | $2.10 to $2.48 | Measured |
| Arizona | 6 | $21.84 | $2,525 | $2,997 | $2.10 to $2.50 | Measured |
| Virginia | 7 | $22.91 | $2,548 | $3,043 | $2.12 to $2.54 | Measured |
| Wyoming | 8 | $22.90 | $2,548 | $3,042 | $2.12 to $2.54 | Measured |
| South Dakota | 9 | $23.12 | $2,552 | $3,052 | $2.13 to $2.54 | Measured |
| Nevada | 10 | $23.30 | $2,556 | $3,060 | $2.13 to $2.55 | Measured |
| Alabama | 11 | $23.75 | $2,566 | $3,079 | $2.14 to $2.57 | Measured |
| Oklahoma | 12 | $23.74 | $2,566 | $3,079 | $2.14 to $2.57 | Measured |
| North Dakota | 13 | $23.90 | $2,569 | $3,086 | $2.14 to $2.57 | Measured |
| Florida | 14 | $23.91 | $2,570 | $3,086 | $2.14 to $2.57 | Measured |
| South Carolina | 15 | $23.99 | $2,571 | $3,089 | $2.14 to $2.57 | Measured |
| Texas | 16 | $23.97 | $2,571 | $3,089 | $2.14 to $2.57 | Measured |
| Louisiana | 17 | $24.02 | $2,572 | $3,091 | $2.14 to $2.58 | Measured |
| Maine | 18 | $24.23 | $2,576 | $3,100 | $2.15 to $2.58 | Measured |
| Connecticut | 19 | $24.25 | $2,577 | $3,101 | $2.15 to $2.58 | Measured |
| Tennessee | 20 | $24.43 | $2,581 | $3,108 | $2.15 to $2.59 | Measured |
| Michigan | 21 | $24.61 | $2,585 | $3,116 | $2.15 to $2.60 | Measured |
| New Hampshire | 22 | $25.11 | $2,595 | $3,138 | $2.16 to $2.61 | Measured |
| Massachusetts | 23 | $25.20 | $2,597 | $3,142 | $2.16 to $2.62 | Measured |
| Wisconsin | 24 | $25.22 | $2,598 | $3,143 | $2.16 to $2.62 | Measured |
| Montana | 25 | $25.40 | $2,602 | $3,150 | $2.17 to $2.63 | Measured |
| New Mexico | 26 | $25.53 | $2,605 | $3,156 | $2.17 to $2.63 | Measured |
| Alaska | 27 | $26.06 | $2,616 | $3,179 | $2.18 to $2.65 | Measured |
| Delaware | 28 | $26.18 | $2,619 | $3,184 | $2.18 to $2.65 | Measured |
| Pennsylvania | 29 | $26.28 | $2,621 | $3,188 | $2.18 to $2.66 | Measured |
| Colorado | 30 | $26.42 | $2,624 | $3,194 | $2.19 to $2.66 | Measured |
| Indiana | 31 | $26.61 | $2,628 | $3,203 | $2.19 to $2.67 | Measured |
| Georgia | 32 | $26.72 | $2,630 | $3,207 | $2.19 to $2.67 | Measured |
| Kansas | 33 | $27.03 | $2,637 | $3,221 | $2.20 to $2.68 | Measured |
| Mississippi | 34 | $27.02 | $2,637 | $3,220 | $2.20 to $2.68 | Measured |
| Iowa | 35 | $27.77 | $2,653 | $3,253 | $2.21 to $2.71 | Measured |
| Vermont | 36 | $27.96 | $2,657 | $3,261 | $2.21 to $2.72 | Measured |
| Rhode Island * | 37 | $28.20 | $2,662 | $3,271 | $2.22 to $2.73 | Derived * |
| Ohio | 38 | $28.29 | $2,664 | $3,275 | $2.22 to $2.73 | Measured |
| Illinois | 39 | $28.94 | $2,678 | $3,303 | $2.23 to $2.75 | Measured |
| Maryland | 40 | $29.02 | $2,680 | $3,307 | $2.23 to $2.76 | Measured |
| New Jersey | 41 | $29.01 | $2,680 | $3,306 | $2.23 to $2.76 | Measured |
| Kentucky | 42 | $29.15 | $2,683 | $3,312 | $2.24 to $2.76 | Measured |
| Missouri | 43 | $29.28 | $2,686 | $3,318 | $2.24 to $2.76 | Measured |
| Oregon | 44 | $29.47 | $2,690 | $3,326 | $2.24 to $2.77 | Measured |
| Minnesota | 45 | $29.59 | $2,692 | $3,331 | $2.24 to $2.78 | Measured |
| California | 46 | $29.73 | $2,695 | $3,337 | $2.25 to $2.78 | Measured |
| District of Columbia * | 47 | $29.87 | $2,698 | $3,343 | $2.25 to $2.79 | Derived * |
| Nebraska | 48 | $31.27 | $2,728 | $3,404 | $2.27 to $2.84 | Measured |
| New York | 49 | $31.90 | $2,742 | $3,431 | $2.29 to $2.86 | Measured |
| Hawaii * | 50 | $33.91 | $2,786 | $3,518 | $2.32 to $2.93 | Derived * |
| Washington | 51 | $37.64 | $2,866 | $3,679 | $2.39 to $3.07 | Measured |
* Derived, not measured, in Rhode Island, District of Columbia, Hawaii. BLS suppresses the SOC 47-2131 wage where it surveys too few insulation workers to publish one. For those jurisdictions the figure scales the national trade wage of $26.32/hr by the jurisdiction's all-construction (SOC 47-0000) wage relative to the national one. A reasoned stand-in, not a survey result. All wages May 2025.
The finding: the spread is small, because material is national
Run the extremes and the geography story mostly collapses. The May 2025 trade wage spans $19.62/hr in West Virginia to $37.64/hr in Washington, a gap of 92 percent. Feed both through the model and the installed low estimate moves 16 percent, about $389, and the high estimate moves 27 percent. A near doubling of the wage becomes a few hundred dollars on the job.
It comes down to the material share. About 78 percent of the national low estimate is bags of fiberglass, priced the same everywhere. So the wage only pushes on the labor slice that is left. Real quotes do swing between markets by more than this table shows. But the wage is mostly not why. The real drivers are local demand, minimum job charges, disposal fees and the time of year. The national cost page covers that, including a four-step test for judging one bid. The oversized regional swing is also one of the claims taken apart in what the internet gets wrong about insulation.
What this index cannot tell you
- Your attic's access. A tight hatch, low clearance or no walkway slows every hour of the job. The crew-hour estimate assumes a typical attic, not a crawl.
- Contamination. Rodent damage, mold or suspected vermiculite change the job entirely, and the last is a separate licensed trade. The removal guide is the starting point if any of these applies.
- Local permit and disposal costs. Some jurisdictions permit insulation work or charge for disposal by volume. Neither is in the model.
- Your state's code target. This index prices R-49 everywhere, so the rows compare cleanly. What your state's energy code actually asks for is a different question, and it varies. The energy code tracker has the answer state by state.
- Minimum job charges and season. The model is linear in floor area; a real market has a floor price and a busy season.
- The burden multiplier is a bracket, not a measurement. That 2.0 to 3.0 range is the ordinary construction band, carried as a range precisely because it has not been measured. Crew hours are the same kind of estimate. Every row inherits both.
- Whether you should buy the job at all. We do not sell insulation and we do not install it, so this table has no stake in the answer: if your attic is already within about R-10 of its target, more depth repays slowly and no state's price makes it a good buy. Measure first with the depth checker, and the payback guide runs the worth-it arithmetic.
Cite this index
Preferred citation:
Insulation Report, "Insulation Cost by State: The Insulation Cost Index," from the Insulation Report Cost Model, August 2026. Modeled installed cost of blown-in attic insulation. Standard job: 1,200 sq ft to R-49. Wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2131. Material: retail listing read 2026-08-07. https://insulationreport.com/data/insulation-cost-by-state/
To link one state, add its row name to this page's address, like #state-west-virginia. Please carry the warning with it. The crew-hour
rate and the multiplier on wages are both estimates, so these are brackets, not prices.
Turn your state's bracket into a real quote
The table models a reference job. A licensed contractor who has seen your attic can price yours. Tell us the job and your ZIP and we pass it to a licensed contractor who works in your area.
A marketing service, not a licensed contractor. Insulation work is performed by independent licensed local contractors.
- What happens next?
- Your request goes to a licensed insulation contractor near you, usually within about an hour during the day.
Common questions
How were these state-by-state costs calculated?
Every row runs the same model on the same job: a 1,200 square foot attic blown to R-49 with fiberglass. Labor is 9 to 12 crew-hours per 1,000 square feet, which is an estimate. We price those hours at that state's BLS May 2025 average wage for insulation workers. Then we multiply by 2.0 to 3.0 to cover payroll tax, insurance, equipment, overhead and profit. That multiplier is an estimate too. Material is 30.4 bags of a named blown fiberglass at its store price of $67.58, read {MATERIAL_ANCHOR.readDate}, using the maker's published coverage at R-49. Only the wage changes from row to row. That is exactly why the table looks the way it does.
Why is my quote different from my state's row?
Because the model prices one clean job, and your attic is a real attic. Hard access, baffles, air sealing and taking out old material. Minimum job charges and the time of year. All of that sits outside the model, and every one is a fair line on a real bid. The model also prices material at store price, while a contractor pays less. So an honest quote can land below your state's low figure. Use the row as a bracket to check a bid's math, then ask the contractor to itemize anything above it. The national cost page has a four-step fairness test for exactly that.
Labor is cheaper two states over. Is that worth chasing?
No. Material is about 78 percent of the model's national low estimate and the same bag costs the same everywhere. So even the full 92 percent wage gap between West Virginia and Washington only moves the installed low estimate by about 16 percent. That is roughly $389 on this job. A crew driving across state lines would burn that in fuel and hours, and you would give up the accountability that comes with a local license. Put the effort into comparing line-by-line quotes from licensed local contractors instead. What is in the scope moves a bid far more than where you live does.
Why are District of Columbia, Hawaii and Rhode Island marked as derived?
BLS only publishes a wage for SOC 47-2131, Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling and Wall, where it surveys enough of them. In those three places the sample was too small, so BLS holds the number back. So we work one out instead. We take the national trade wage and scale it by how that place's all-construction wage (SOC 47-0000) compares with the national one. That is a reasoned stand-in, not a measurement. Everywhere those rows show up, we say so.