Attic insulation cost in Rhode Island
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (1,000 sq ft)
- $1,000 – $4,000
- Per sq ft
- $1 – $4
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- Level
- US $2,500
- Metros covered
- 1
Across Rhode Island, attic insulation costs about $1,000 to $4,000 for 1,000 sq ft. Statewide, that midpoint is 0% below the US figure of $2,500. Insulation workers, floor, ceiling and wall earn a median $23.62 an hour in Rhode Island (US: $23.62).
Rhode Island has one metro in our dataset, Providence, so the statewide and metro figures are close. The state figure uses BLS statewide wages, which include rural areas.
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Estimated cost for 1,000 sq ft in Rhode Island (statewide), standard level
$1,900 to $3,100
About $1.90 to $3.10 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 38% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,150 | $2,000 |
| Labor | $770 | $1,100 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,900 | $3,100 |
Cost breakdown for 1,000 sq ft in Rhode Island
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $1,550 | $2,600 | 62% |
| Labor | $520 | $940 | $1,350 | 38% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $1,000 | $2,500 | $4,000 | 100% |
What insulation workers, floor, ceiling and wall and the other trades earn in Rhode Island
Rhode Island's labor line is priced from 2 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 1.04 times the national level.
Insulation workers, floor, ceiling and wall (47-2131) carry 80% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for Rhode Island, so we used the national median: $23.62 an hour against $23.62 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $20.77 and $29.32 an hour.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 20%) the local median is $27.52 an hour, which is 21% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.51 and $37.25 an hour. BLS counts 2,110 of them working in the state, 42.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for insulation workers, floor, ceiling and wall ($29.32 an hour) would add about $170 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($20.77) would take off about $85. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 501,340 jobs across Rhode Island (May 2025), which is 0.3% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insulation workers, floor, ceiling and wall (47-2131) | 80% | $20.77 | $23.62 | $29.32 | $23.62 | 1.00 | US |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 20% | $22.51 | $27.52 | $37.25 | $22.66 | 1.21 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.04 | |||||
Basic, standard or premium: Rhode Island prices
Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from small attic (600 sq ft) to large attic (1,800 sq ft).
Basic
$1,000 to $2,200
Blown-in fiberglass or cellulose to code R-value
Standard
$1,900 to $3,100
Higher R-value with air sealing around fixtures
Premium
$2,800 to $4,000
Spray foam or heavy air sealing, hard-to-reach attic
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| small attic (600 sq ft) | $600 – $1,300 | $1,150 – $1,850 | $1,650 – $2,400 |
| average attic (1,000 sq ft) | $1,000 – $2,200 | $1,900 – $3,100 | $2,800 – $4,000 |
| large attic (1,800 sq ft) | $1,800 – $3,950 | $3,400 – $5,550 | $5,000 – $7,150 |
How Rhode Island compares with nearby states
Rhode Island ranks 24 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for attic insulation, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Washington at $2,900 and the cheapest West Virginia at $2,250, both for 1,000 sq ft at the midpoint. Rhode Island sits at $2,500. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 50 miles away | $1,050 – $4,050 | $2,550 | +2% |
| Connecticut | 80 miles away | $1,000 – $4,000 | $2,500 | level |
| New Hampshire | 90 miles away | $1,000 – $4,000 | $2,500 | +1% |
| New York | 160 miles away | $1,150 – $4,450 | $2,800 | +12% |
| Maine | 170 miles away | $970 – $3,900 | $2,450 | −2% |
If you are planning more than one job in Rhode Island
Each project weights the trades differently, so Rhode Island's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, roof replacement is +7% and window replacement −1%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | 2,000 sq ft of roof | $6,600 – $13,300 | +7% |
| Metal roof | 2,000 sq ft of roof | $11,000 – $33,800 | +5% |
| Vinyl siding | 2,100 sq ft of wall | $8,600 – $25,800 | +2% |
| Window replacement | 10 windows | $4,500 – $14,800 | −1% |
| Gutters | 160 linear ft | $1,350 – $4,300 | +3% |
Why two Rhode Island quotes can differ
Type of insulation
Blown-in is $0.90-$2.40 per sq ft and loose-fill is $1.00-$2.50 installed; spray foam costs more (HomeGuide).
Job size
Small attics start around $500 and large ones go up to $6,000 (HomeGuide).
Air sealing and fixture damming
Sealing gaps and damming around recessed lights are part of what moves the price within a type.
Removing old insulation
Old, wet or pest-damaged insulation has to come out first, at extra cost.
Attic insulation cost by metro in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has one metro in our dataset, Providence, so the statewide and metro figures are close. The state figure uses BLS statewide wages, which include rural areas. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.
| Metro | Range (1,000 sq ft) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence, RI | $1,000 – $4,000 | $2,500 | level |
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Attic insulation in Rhode Island: your questions
+How much does it cost to insulate an attic in Rhode Island?
$1,000 to $4,000 for 1,000 sq ft, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside Rhode Island can sit above or below that.
+Which city in Rhode Island is cheapest for attic insulation?
Providence at about $2,500 (midpoint, 1,000 sq ft).
+Is attic insulation cheaper in Rhode Island than the US average?
It is 0% cheaper: $2,500 against $2,500 for 1,000 sq ft at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in Rhode Island?
About 38% ($940). Materials are 62%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 1.04x the national wage level.
+What do insulation workers, floor, ceiling and wall earn in Rhode Island?
BLS has no statewide figure for this trade, so we use the national median of $23.62 an hour, against $23.62 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $20.77 to $29.32.
+Where does Rhode Island rank for attic insulation costs?
24th most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $2,500 for 1,000 sq ft. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium attic insulation work cost in Rhode Island?
For 1,000 sq ft, basic work runs $1,000 to $2,200 and premium work $2,800 to $4,000. Basic means: blown-in fiberglass or cellulose to code R-value. Premium means: spray foam or heavy air sealing, hard-to-reach attic.
Attic insulation by city in Rhode Island
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Attic Insulation Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Note on derived figures: Materials = installed price minus HomeGuide's $0.50-$1.30 per sq ft insulation labor, matched low-to-low and high-to-high.