Home / Washington / Benton County / Insulation Applicator

Benton County · Insulation Applicator

Insulation Applicator prevailing wage in Benton County, Washington

$65.89an hour, base wage + fringe benefits

$48.11 base wage + $17.78 fringe benefits

On Washington public works in Benton County, an insulation applicator must be paid at least $65.89 an hour in total: $48.11 in wages plus $17.78 in fringe benefits for health, pension, vacation, training and other plans. L&I's rate took effect September 2, 2026.

L&I published this rate on August 3, 2026 and it took effect September 2, 2026. Checked against L&I's wage lookup on October 24, 2026.

L&I also sets a residential insulation applicator rate in Benton County: $25.63 an hour. It applies only to the residential projects L&I defines. Residential rates and when they apply.

Base wage and fringe benefits: $48.11 + $17.78

The wage is the taxable hourly rate. The other lines are what Washington law calls "usual benefits": contributions to health, pension, vacation and holiday, apprenticeship and similar plans. A contractor that doesn't provide a benefit pays its value as wages instead (RCW 39.12.010).

Base wage (taxable)	$48.11
Health and welfare	$9.25
Pension	$7.76
Training	$0.77
Total straight-time hourly rate	$65.89

Set from: collective bargaining agreement, Eastern Washington Northern Idaho Area Master Agreement between The Inland Northwest AGC (A Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, Inc.) and The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters. Carpenters-Millwrights-Piledrivers. Where a county has a collective bargaining agreement, L&I adopts its wage and benefits; with more than one, the higher rate prevails. Otherwise L&I uses wage surveys (RCW 39.12.015).

Overtime

L&I overtime code 4X:

Overtime Calculations are based on the hourly rate actually paid to the worker. On public works projects, the hourly rate must be not less than the prevailing rate of wage minus the hourly rate of the cost of fringe benefits actually provided for the worker.

ALL HOURS WORKED IN EXCESS OF EIGHT (8) HOURS PER DAY OR FORTY (40) HOURS PER WEEK SHALL BE PAID AT ONE AND ONE-HALF TIMES THE HOURLY RATE OF WAGE.

All hours worked on Saturdays shall be paid at one and one-half times the hourly rate of wage. All hours worked on Sundays and holidays shall be paid at double the hourly rate of wage. Work performed outside the normal shift of 6 am to 6pm shall be paid at one and one-half the straight time rate, (except for special shifts or three shift operations). All work performed on Sundays and holidays shall be paid at double the hourly rate of wage. Shifts may be established when considered necessary by the Employer.

The Employer may establish shifts consisting of eight (8) or ten (10) hours of work (subject to WAC 296-127-022), that shall constitute a normal forty (40) hour work week. The Employer can change from a 5-eight to a 4-ten hour schedule or back to the other. All hours of work on these shifts shall be paid for at the straight time hourly rate. Work performed in excess of eight hours (or ten hours per day (subject to WAC 296-127-022) shall be paid at one and one-half the straight time rate.

When due to conditions beyond the control of the Employer, or when contract specifications require that work can only be performed outside the regular day shift, then by mutual agreement a special shift may be worked at the straight time rate, eight (8) hours work for eight (8) hours pay. The starting time shall be arranged to fit such conditions of work.

When an employee returns to work without at a break of eight (8) hours since their previous shift, all such time shall be a continuation of shift and paid at the applicable overtime rate until such time as the employee has had a break of eight (8) hours.

Washington has no single overtime rule for prevailing wage. Each rate carries its own L&I code, copied here as published.

Labor cost calculator: a crew's straight-time wage and fringe cost over the job dates.

When does this rate change?

Rates lock at the bid date. A project uses “the rates that are in effect on the date when bids by prime contractors are due”, and they stay for the life of the contract. If the contract isn't awarded within six months of the bid date, the award-date rates apply. Contracts without bids use the date they're signed (WAC 296-127-011).
L&I publishes on the first business day of February and August, and rates take effect 30 days later. Corrections can be published at any time and also take effect 30 days later (WAC 296-127-011(1); L&I publications and corrections). L&I's next set is due February 1, 2027, effective March 3, 2027.
L&I doesn't republish every rate each period. A rate stays until L&I changes it, so each one has its own date. This one was published August 3, 2026 and took effect September 2, 2026.

Residential insulation applicator rates in Benton County

Residential rates apply only to construction, alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, condominiums and other residential buildings no more than four stories tall (basement included), and only for affordable housing (including permanent supportive and transitional housing), weatherization or rehabilitation of low-income homes, and homeless and domestic-violence shelters. Utilities, streets and structures unrelated to the housing use commercial rates. (WAC 296-127-010(9))

Classification	Base wage	Fringe benefits	Total rate	Effective
Residential Insulation Applicators: Journey Level	$25.63	$0.00	$25.63	Aug 31, 2025

Davis-Bacon insulation applicator rate in Benton County

Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.

The federal determinations for Benton County list no insulation applicator classification.

Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Washington Davis-Bacon changes

Holidays

L&I holiday code 7E:

Holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day (7). Any holiday which falls on a Sunday shall be observed as a holiday on the following Monday. Any holiday which falls on a Saturday shall be observed as a holiday on the preceding Friday.

How Benton County compares

The main insulation applicator rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.

Every county in Washington

Benton $65.89520

$65.89Adams$87.71Chelan

BentonNearby: Franklin $65.89, Walla Walla $65.89, Yakima $87.71Each column is a group of counties with about the same main rate; its height is how many. 25 counties pay more than Benton, 13 the same, 0 less.

Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby

Benton Countybase $48.11$65.89
Franklin Countybase $48.11$65.89
Walla Walla Countybase $48.11$65.89
Yakima Countybase $66.98$87.71

Insulation Applicator rates in nearby counties

Current L&I rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done. The statute defines “locality” as “the largest city in the county wherein the physical work is being performed”, and L&I publishes rates county by county (RCW 39.12.010).

County	Classification	Base wage	Total rate	vs Benton County
Yakima County	Journey Level	$66.98	$87.71	+$21.82
Klickitat County	Journey Level	$56.86	$74.87	+$8.98
Benton County	Journey Level	$48.11	$65.89
Franklin County	Journey Level	$48.11	$65.89	same
Walla Walla County	Journey Level	$48.11	$65.89	same
Grant County	Journey Level	$48.11	$65.89	same
Adams County	Journey Level	$48.11	$65.89	same

Washington insulation applicator prevailing wage by county, with a map

Notes on this rate

L&I's notes, in L&I's words. Some add premiums for hazardous work, special shifts or certifications.

8N Workers on hazmat projects receive additional hourly premiums as follows - Level A: $1.00, Level B: $0.75, Level C: $0.50, and Level D: $0.25.

Are you being paid this rate?

Add your wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $65.89. Each contractor files an L&I-approved Statement of Intent to Pay Prevailing Wages before it's paid, and an Affidavit of Wages Paid when the job is accepted (RCW 39.12.040). On contracts over $10,000 the approved intent and L&I's contact details are posted on the job site (RCW 39.12.020).

Source

Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, prevailing wage lookup, Benton County, Insulation Applicators (INSU), L&I wage record 149857, published August 3, 2026, effective September 2, 2026: secure.lni.wa.gov/wagelookup/

Each figure comes from L&I's lookup and is checked against L&I's CSV export and a second, separate query. How we check · Download Benton County as CSV · Report an error