By The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: October 2026.
How much roofers make in the United States: a median of $26.65 per hour, or $55,440 per year, per the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) release for SOC 47-2181 Roofers. The lowest-paid 10% of roofers earn under $18.01 an hour ($37,460 a year) and the top 10% earn over $39.29 an hour ($81,720), so a roofer’s pay depends mostly on state, experience, union status and overtime. The mean (average) roofer wage is higher than the median at $27.95 an hour, or $58,140 a year, because the top earners pull the average up. Roofer pay is separate from what a roofing company charges per hour, which is covered further down.
The national and state figures on this page come from the May 2025 OEWS files that BLS published in 2026, and the career data comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook roofer profile. Earlier-year state rankings, employment counts and wage-growth history are in our Roofing Labor Wage Report 2026.
How much does a roofer make per hour and per year?
A roofer earns a median of $26.65 an hour, which works out to a full-time roofer salary of about $55,440 a year, per May 2025 BLS OEWS data. The middle half of roofers earn between $22.24 and $31.44 per hour ($46,260 to $65,390 a year). These figures cover the 135,490 roofers on employer payrolls and exclude self-employed contractors, who the Occupational Outlook Handbook says make up 20% of the trade’s 166,900 jobs.
BLS annualizes hourly wages at 2,080 hours (40 hours a week for 52 weeks), so a roofer who loses 6 to 8 winter weeks in a northern state earns less than the annual figure suggests. The OOH notes that in northern states roofing work may be limited in winter, while summer months bring overtime. The table converts the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles into common pay periods.
| Pay period | 25th percentile | Median roofer | 75th percentile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $22.24 | $26.65 | $31.44 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Weekly (40 hours) | $889.60 | $1,066 | $1,257.60 | Hourly x 40 |
| Monthly (annual / 12) | $3,855 | $4,620 | $5,449 | BLS annual / 12 |
| Annual (full-time) | $46,260 | $55,440 | $65,390 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
How much do roofers make a week with overtime?
A roofer at the $26.65 median makes $1,066 for a 40-hour week before taxes. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid at least time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek, per the U.S. Department of Labor, so each overtime hour at the median pays $39.98. The worked example below shows how quickly a peak-season week adds up.
| Hours worked in the week | Straight time | Overtime at 1.5x | Gross weekly pay at $26.65/hr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 40 x $26.65 = $1,066 | $0 | $1,066 |
| 45 | $1,066 | 5 x $39.98 = $199.88 | $1,265.88 |
| 50 | $1,066 | 10 x $39.98 = $399.75 | $1,465.75 |
| 60 | $1,066 | 20 x $39.98 = $799.50 | $1,865.50 |
Piece-rate pay (paid per square installed) is common on residential crews and is legal, but the FLSA overtime rule still applies to non-exempt piece-rate workers, so ask any employer how overtime is calculated before you accept a per-square rate. Roofers paid as 1099 subcontractors receive no overtime premium and cover both the employee and employer shares of Social Security and Medicare, which IRS Publication 15 sets at 6.2% plus 1.45% each, or 15.3% combined.
How much do roofers charge per hour?
What a roofer earns and what a roofing company charges are two different numbers. The $26.65 median wage is the worker’s gross hourly pay. On top of that wage the employer pays 7.65% in Social Security and Medicare (IRS Publication 15), federal and state unemployment tax, and workers’ compensation premiums (state rates are in our roofing workers’ compensation report), plus equipment, overhead and profit. That stack is why a contractor’s billed hourly rate sits well above the wage, and most roofing work is not billed by the hour at all.
Full replacements are usually quoted by the square (100 square feet of roof) or as a fixed price for the whole job, with labor and materials bundled together. Hourly or time-and-materials billing shows up mostly on small repairs, leak calls, and inspections, and many contractors set a minimum service charge for those visits. If you are pricing work rather than a paycheck, our guide to how much it costs to repair a roof breaks typical bills down by damage type.
How much do roofers make a year by experience level?
BLS does not publish roofer pay by years of experience, so the closest federal proxy is the OEWS percentile spread: the 10th percentile ($37,460) is where new roofers usually sit and the 90th ($81,720) is where top crew leads in high-wage states land. Helpers (SOC 47-3016, Helpers, Roofers), the formal entry-level job, earn a median of $21.23 an hour or $44,160 a year. Union apprentices usually start at 50% of the journey-worker rate and get raises as they advance, per the OOH.
| BLS benchmark (May 2025) | Hourly | Annual | Closest career stage (editorial mapping) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helpers, Roofers: median | $21.23 | $44,160 | Entry-level helper or laborer | BLS OEWS 47-3016 |
| Roofers: 10th percentile | $18.01 | $37,460 | First-year roofer, low-wage state | BLS OEWS 47-2181 |
| Roofers: 25th percentile | $22.24 | $46,260 | Roofer, 1 to 4 years | BLS OEWS 47-2181 |
| Roofers: median | $26.65 | $55,440 | Experienced roofer | BLS OEWS 47-2181 |
| Roofers: 75th percentile | $31.44 | $65,390 | Senior roofer or lead hand | BLS OEWS 47-2181 |
| Roofers: 90th percentile | $39.29 | $81,720 | Top crew lead, high-wage state | BLS OEWS 47-2181 |
| First-line supervisors of construction trades (all trades): median | $38.42 | $79,920 | Foreman or superintendent | BLS OEWS 47-1011 |
Certifications can move a roofer up the percentile table faster. An OSHA 30-hour Outreach card from the OSHA Outreach Training Program, manufacturer training such as GAF’s CARE courses, or torch-down and single-ply membrane skills can justify higher pay because they expand the jobs a worker can staff. GAF certifies roofing companies, not individual installers, so Master Elite is a status your employer holds, not a personal credential.
Which states pay roofers the most and least?
Roofer pay by state runs from a mean of $45,280 a year in Mississippi to $77,650 in Illinois, per the May 2025 BLS OEWS state file, a gap of $32,370 for the same job. Illinois ($37.33 mean hourly), New Jersey ($35.76) and Massachusetts ($35.09) lead; Arkansas ($22.01) and Mississippi ($21.77) trail. Florida employs the most payroll roofers (23,550) at a $48,870 mean, below the national $58,140 mean. Our roofer salary by state rankings cover every state and the District of Columbia.
| Rank | State | Mean hourly | Mean annual | Roofers employed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $37.33 | $77,650 | 5,300 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $35.76 | $74,380 | 1,860 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $35.09 | $72,990 | 1,950 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $35.06 | $72,920 | 1,890 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 5 | New York | $33.34 | $69,350 | 4,570 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 6 | Washington | $33.11 | $68,870 | 5,890 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 10 | California | $32.41 | $67,420 | 21,190 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 47 | Texas | $22.69 | $47,200 | 5,740 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 42 | Florida | $23.49 | $48,870 | 23,550 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $22.59 | $46,980 | 400 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $22.47 | $46,740 | 2,110 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $22.01 | $45,780 | 950 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $21.77 | $45,280 | 480 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
Ranks run 1 to 51 across the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, sorted by mean annual wage; Puerto Rico is excluded. A $77,650 Illinois wage does not stretch as far against Chicago-area housing costs as a $47,200 Texas wage does in a lower-cost metro, so compare take-home after rent before you relocate. How roofer pay compares with electricians ($30.38 median hourly) and plumbers ($30.67) is broken down in our roofing vs. other skilled trades report.
Do union roofers make more than non-union roofers?
Union roofers generally earn negotiated scale wages plus employer-paid health and pension contributions, which non-union shops rarely match. Locals of the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers set scale by collective agreement, and union apprentices usually start at 50% of that journey rate, per the OOH. BLS does not split OEWS roofer wages by union status, so ask the local’s business agent for the current journey scale and the fringe-benefit rate per hour when comparing offers.
Union work concentrates in commercial and industrial projects and in metros with strong locals. The regional wage gap is large either way: the five highest-paying states in the May 2025 OEWS data (Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York) all have mean roofer wages above $69,000, while the South’s largest roofing markets, Florida and Texas, sit near $48,000. A non-union roofer who works piece-rate on a fast residential crew can still out-earn an hourly worker in a busy season, but without pension or health contributions.
How much can a roofing business owner make?
No federal survey reports roofing business owner income: OEWS excludes the self-employed, who are 20% of roofing jobs per the OOH. An owner’s pay is the company’s net profit after crew wages, the 7.65% employer payroll tax, workers’ compensation, insurance, materials and warranty callbacks, so it can exceed the $81,720 90th-percentile employee wage in a strong year and fall below the $55,440 median in a slow one. Our roofing business valuation guide shows the margin and earnings math buyers use.
Owners also add revenue streams beyond installation. The list below covers the common ways a roofing company lifts owner income past the wage ceiling.
- Insurance restoration work, where storm and hail claims fund full replacements.
- Maintenance and inspection contracts, which smooth out seasonal revenue.
- Adding gutters, solar, or exterior services to raise the average ticket per job.
- Running multiple crews so the business earns margin on more than one job at a time.
Ownership is where the OOH career section says the trade’s ladder ends: roofers may advance to supervisor, job superintendent or estimator, or start their own business. Our guide on how to start a roofing business covers the licensing, capital and insurance steps behind that move.
Why do roofers get paid what they do?
Roofers had a fatal work injury rate of 48.7 per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers in 2024, against 3.3 for all workers, with 104 roofer deaths, per the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Only logging and fishing workers ranked higher on that chart. That hazard, plus heavy lifting and summer heat, keeps roofer pay ($26.65 median) above the $24.51 median for all U.S. occupations in May 2025.
BLS projects roofer employment to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, adding 8,800 jobs, and expects about 12,000 openings a year over the decade, mostly to replace workers who retire or change occupations, per the OOH. That replacement demand supports wages even in softer housing markets. The full workforce picture is in our roofing apprenticeship and training report.
Roofer pay benchmarks: where do you stand?
| If your hourly pay is | Where that sits (BLS May 2025) | Move that raises it most |
|---|---|---|
| Under $18.01 | Bottom 10% of roofers; below the $21.23 helper median | Ask for a raise to the helper median or move to a roofing contractor (median $55,860 a year in that industry) |
| $18.01 to $22.24 | 10th to 25th percentile | Earn an OSHA 30 card and learn a second system (TPO, EPDM, metal) |
| $22.24 to $26.65 | 25th percentile to median | Take crew-lead duties; confirm overtime is paid at 1.5x over 40 hours |
| $26.65 to $31.44 | Median to 75th percentile | Compare union journey scale and benefits in your metro |
| $31.44 to $39.29 | 75th to 90th percentile | Move to foreman or estimator (supervisor median $38.42) |
| Over $39.29 | Top 10% of roofers | Next step is superintendent, sales or ownership |
How to earn more as a roofer
The fastest ways to raise roofer pay are to gain experience, get certified, move into a higher-wage state or the commercial segment, and eventually run your own jobs. The jump from the $26.65 roofer median to the $38.42 construction-supervisor median is $11.77 an hour, the largest single step on the BLS ladder. Sales is another route, and our guide to roofing sales jobs breaks down how commission pay compares with installation wages.
- Build speed and a clean safety record so you can run a crew; foreman is the step that moves pay from the $26.65 roofer median toward the $38.42 supervisor median.
- Earn certifications and training like OSHA 30 and manufacturer product training that open up higher-paying jobs. New entrants can start with free GAF Roofing Academy training.
- Learn commercial flat-roof systems such as TPO, EPDM, and single-ply membrane, which pay more than basic shingle work.
- Consider relocating to a higher-wage state or metro if cost of living still nets you ahead.
- Move toward ownership once you can sell and manage jobs, where the income ceiling is highest.
Frequently asked questions
How much do roofers make an hour?
The median roofer makes $26.65 an hour, per May 2025 BLS OEWS data, with the middle half earning $22.24 to $31.44 per hour. Roofing helpers earn a median of $21.23, while the top 10% of roofers earn more than $39.29 an hour before overtime.
How much do roofers make a year?
A full-time roofer earns a median of $55,440 a year and a mean of $58,140, per May 2025 BLS data. The bottom 10% earn under $37,460 and the top 10% over $81,720. Overtime at time and a half over 40 hours can push a peak-season year above those figures.
How much do roofers make a week?
At the $26.65 median, a roofer makes $1,066 for a 40-hour week and $1,465.75 for a 50-hour week with 10 hours of overtime at time and a half, before taxes. A roofer at the 25th percentile ($22.24) makes $889.60 for 40 hours.
What state pays roofers the most?
Illinois pays roofers the most, at a $77,650 mean annual wage ($37.33 an hour), per the May 2025 BLS OEWS state data, followed by New Jersey ($74,380) and Massachusetts ($72,990). Mississippi pays the least at $45,280. Cost of living offsets part of that gap.
Do roofers make good money?
Roofers earn a $55,440 median, above the $50,980 median for all U.S. occupations in May 2025, with no college requirement. Foremen and superintendents move toward the $79,920 construction-supervisor median. The trade-off is risk: roofers had a fatal injury rate of 48.7 per 100,000 full-time workers in 2024.
How much do roofing business owners make?
No federal survey reports roofing owner income, because BLS wage data excludes the self-employed, who hold 20% of roofing jobs. Owner pay is the company’s net profit after wages, payroll tax, insurance and materials, so it can beat the $81,720 top-10% employee wage in a strong year and trail the median in a weak one.
Is roofing a good career?
Roofing can be a good career for someone who wants skilled-trade pay without a degree. BLS projects about 12,000 roofer openings a year from 2025 to 2035 and 5% employment growth, and the path runs from helper to roofer to foreman or owner. The main downsides are physical wear and safety risk. New-construction demand adds to that baseline, as our housing starts and roofing demand report details.