Roofing capacity is not spread evenly across the United States. Using the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 County Business Patterns, the country had 25,519 roofing contractor establishments with paid employees and 215,242 people working at them. Set against the Census Bureau’s July 2024 population estimate of 340,110,988, that works out to 7.50 roofing establishments and 63.3 roofing employees for every 100,000 residents. This report ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia by that density, adds a per housing unit view, and tests how closely contractor concentration tracks hail and storm exposure.
The findings below use establishment and employment counts for NAICS 238160 (Roofing Contractors) from the 2023 County Business Patterns, released in 2025. All per-capita and per housing unit figures are Roofing Brief calculations built from those counts and Census population and housing estimates. Companion reports cover the national roofing contractor count, the firm-size and fragmentation structure of the industry, and the state-by-state hail and storm loss history.
Executive Summary
- The United States had 25,519 roofing contractor establishments in 2023, or 7.50 per 100,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023).
- Colorado has the highest establishment density at 15.44 per 100,000 residents, more than double the national rate. Wyoming (14.64) and Idaho (14.54) follow.
- Among the 50 states, Nevada has the lowest density at 3.70 establishments per 100,000 residents. Mississippi (3.91) and New Jersey (3.94) are next. The District of Columbia is lowest of all 51 jurisdictions at 0.85.
- Florida leads on roofing employment density with 128.7 employees per 100,000 residents, well ahead of Washington (112.9) and Oregon (112.8).
- Measured per housing unit, Idaho ranks first at 34.99 establishments per 100,000 housing units, narrowly ahead of Colorado (34.39).
- Contractor density correlates with hail exposure. A Roofing Brief rank correlation across the 15 highest-hail states returned a Spearman coefficient of 0.73 between establishment density and FEMA National Risk Index hail loss per resident.
- Firm size varies widely by state. Roofing establishments average 8.4 employees nationally, but 13.6 in Florida and 13.5 in Arizona versus about 4 in Vermont, Montana and Wyoming.
Key Findings
- The United States had 25,519 roofing contractor establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 215,242 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160, 2023.
- National roofing establishment density was 7.50 per 100,000 residents in 2023, a Roofing Brief calculation using the Census Bureau July 2024 population estimate of 340,110,988.
- Colorado ranked first among all states at 15.44 roofing establishments per 100,000 residents (920 establishments, 5,957,493 residents). Source: County Business Patterns 2023; Census population estimate July 2024.
- Wyoming ranked second at 14.64 establishments per 100,000 residents, and Idaho third at 14.54, in 2023.
- Nevada had the lowest density among the 50 states at 3.70 establishments per 100,000 residents in 2023 (121 establishments, 3,267,467 residents).
- Colorado’s density was 4.2 times Nevada’s, the widest ratio between any two states in 2023, a Roofing Brief calculation.
- Florida led roofing employment density at 128.7 employees per 100,000 residents in 2023, on 30,080 employees across 2,215 establishments.
- Washington (112.9) and Oregon (112.8) ranked second and third for roofing employees per 100,000 residents in 2023.
- On a per housing unit basis, Idaho ranked first at 34.99 roofing establishments per 100,000 housing units in 2023, using the Census Bureau July 2024 housing estimate.
- Roofing establishments averaged 8.4 employees each nationally in 2023 (215,242 employees divided by 25,519 establishments), a Roofing Brief calculation.
- Nevada had the largest average firm size at 19.6 employees per establishment, while Vermont had the smallest at 3.9, in 2023.
- Six of the 15 highest-density states (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Kansas) also rank among the 15 states with the highest FEMA National Risk Index hail loss per resident.
- A Roofing Brief Spearman rank correlation across those 15 highest-hail states found a coefficient of 0.73 between contractor density and hail loss per resident, a strong positive relationship.
- The occupation of roofer (SOC 47-2181) counted 179,518 workers nationally in 2024 with an average wage of $47,116. Source: Census American Community Survey PUMS via Data USA.
How density is measured
Two denominators matter for roofing. Population captures the size of a market’s customer base and workforce. Housing units capture the actual stock of roofs that need installation, repair and replacement. This report reports both. The numerator throughout is the count of roofing contractor establishments classified under NAICS 238160, or the count of paid employees at those establishments, from the 2023 County Business Patterns. County Business Patterns counts only businesses with paid employees, so sole proprietors and other nonemployer roofing businesses are not included. That is a meaningful exclusion in a trade with many owner-operators, and it means these figures describe employer establishments rather than every person doing roofing work.
States ranked by roofing contractors per capita
Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Nebraska occupy the top five for establishment density. The pattern is heavily Mountain West and Northern Plains. High-growth housing markets, dispersed low-density development that favors many small firms, and severe hail and wind exposure all push these states up the ranking. The full table below lists all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
| Rank | State | Roofing establishments (2023) | Employees at roofing establishments (2023) | Establishments per 100k residents | Employees per 100k residents | Establishments per 100k housing units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colorado | 920 | 5,576 | 15.44 | 93.6 | 34.39 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 86 | 362 | 14.64 | 61.6 | 30.55 |
| 3 | Idaho | 291 | 1,640 | 14.54 | 81.9 | 34.99 |
| 4 | Montana | 152 | 619 | 13.37 | 54.4 | 28.2 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 267 | 1,718 | 13.31 | 85.7 | 30.28 |
| 6 | Vermont | 84 | 324 | 12.95 | 50.0 | 24.43 |
| 7 | Washington | 990 | 8,985 | 12.44 | 112.9 | 29.14 |
| 8 | Oregon | 515 | 4,819 | 12.05 | 112.8 | 27.18 |
| 9 | South Dakota | 105 | 519 | 11.36 | 56.1 | 24.77 |
| 10 | Utah | 354 | 3,304 | 10.1 | 94.3 | 27.58 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | 409 | 2,252 | 9.99 | 55.0 | 22.68 |
| 12 | Kansas | 290 | 2,303 | 9.76 | 77.5 | 22.11 |
| 13 | New Mexico | 204 | 1,629 | 9.58 | 76.5 | 20.96 |
| 14 | Florida | 2,215 | 30,080 | 9.48 | 128.7 | 20.84 |
| 15 | Alaska | 69 | 448 | 9.32 | 60.5 | 20.89 |
| 16 | Minnesota | 530 | 3,821 | 9.15 | 66.0 | 20.4 |
| 17 | Iowa | 289 | 1,925 | 8.92 | 59.4 | 19.82 |
| 18 | North Dakota | 69 | 419 | 8.66 | 52.6 | 17.99 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 499 | 3,753 | 8.37 | 63.0 | 17.69 |
| 20 | Illinois | 1,026 | 6,354 | 8.07 | 50.0 | 18.69 |
| 21 | Missouri | 503 | 4,336 | 8.05 | 69.4 | 17.59 |
| 22 | Indiana | 557 | 5,331 | 8.04 | 77.0 | 18.39 |
| 23 | Maine | 110 | 778 | 7.83 | 55.4 | 14.37 |
| 24 | Texas | 2,442 | 16,007 | 7.8 | 51.2 | 19.34 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 236 | 1,975 | 7.64 | 63.9 | 16.59 |
| 26 | Ohio | 908 | 7,454 | 7.64 | 62.7 | 17.0 |
| 27 | California | 2,926 | 23,903 | 7.42 | 60.6 | 19.66 |
| 28 | North Carolina | 816 | 6,139 | 7.39 | 55.6 | 16.07 |
| 29 | Georgia | 806 | 4,688 | 7.21 | 41.9 | 17.26 |
| 30 | Arizona | 542 | 7,318 | 7.15 | 96.5 | 16.39 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | 79 | 353 | 7.1 | 31.7 | 16.2 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | 876 | 9,729 | 6.7 | 74.4 | 14.95 |
| 33 | Hawaii | 95 | 1,090 | 6.57 | 75.4 | 16.64 |
| 34 | Delaware | 67 | 860 | 6.37 | 81.8 | 14.05 |
| 35 | Virginia | 556 | 4,369 | 6.31 | 49.6 | 14.82 |
| 36 | Massachusetts | 433 | 3,259 | 6.07 | 45.7 | 14.16 |
| 37 | Alabama | 305 | 1,955 | 5.91 | 37.9 | 12.79 |
| 38 | Tennessee | 423 | 4,382 | 5.85 | 60.6 | 13.04 |
| 39 | Louisiana | 267 | 1,724 | 5.81 | 37.5 | 12.47 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 255 | 2,033 | 5.56 | 44.3 | 12.42 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 98 | 733 | 5.54 | 41.4 | 11.29 |
| 42 | South Carolina | 300 | 2,287 | 5.48 | 41.7 | 11.85 |
| 43 | Maryland | 341 | 4,027 | 5.44 | 64.3 | 13.11 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | 75 | 567 | 5.32 | 40.2 | 11.41 |
| 45 | Michigan | 509 | 5,059 | 5.02 | 49.9 | 10.9 |
| 46 | Connecticut | 176 | 1,349 | 4.79 | 36.7 | 11.33 |
| 47 | New York | 838 | 6,069 | 4.22 | 30.5 | 9.66 |
| 48 | New Jersey | 374 | 3,092 | 3.94 | 32.5 | 9.79 |
| 49 | Mississippi | 115 | 1,046 | 3.91 | 35.5 | 8.46 |
| 50 | Nevada | 121 | 2,374 | 3.7 | 72.7 | 8.86 |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 6 | 106 | 0.85 | 15.1 | 1.62 |
States ranked by roofing workers per capita
The employment view reorders the list. Florida, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Utah lead on roofing employees per 100,000 residents. Warm-climate and storm-exposed states with large firms rise here even when their establishment counts per capita are only moderate. Florida is the clearest example. It ranks 14th for establishments per capita but first for employees per capita, because its roofing firms are large.
| Rank | State | Roofing employees per 100k residents | Total roofing employees (2023) | Average employees per establishment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 128.7 | 30,080 | 13.6 |
| 2 | Washington | 112.9 | 8,985 | 9.1 |
| 3 | Oregon | 112.8 | 4,819 | 9.4 |
| 4 | Arizona | 96.5 | 7,318 | 13.5 |
| 5 | Utah | 94.3 | 3,304 | 9.3 |
| 6 | Colorado | 93.6 | 5,576 | 6.1 |
| 7 | Nebraska | 85.7 | 1,718 | 6.4 |
| 8 | Idaho | 81.9 | 1,640 | 5.6 |
| 9 | Delaware | 81.8 | 860 | 12.8 |
| 10 | Kansas | 77.5 | 2,303 | 7.9 |
| 11 | Indiana | 77.0 | 5,331 | 9.6 |
| 12 | New Mexico | 76.5 | 1,629 | 8.0 |
| 13 | Hawaii | 75.4 | 1,090 | 11.5 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 74.4 | 9,729 | 11.1 |
| 15 | Nevada | 72.7 | 2,374 | 19.6 |
Contractor density and storm exposure
Roofing demand spikes where roofs are damaged. Hail and wind are the largest recurring drivers of roof replacement in the interior United States. The table below pairs the 15 states with the highest FEMA National Risk Index hail losses per resident with their roofing contractor density and rank. Several of the highest-hail states, including Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Kansas and Wyoming, are also among the most densely served by roofing contractors.
| Hail rank | State | FEMA NRI hail loss per resident (annual) | Average annual hail events | Roofing establishments per 100k residents | Contractor-density rank (of 51) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | $49 | 534 | 13.31 | 5 |
| 2 | Colorado | $46 | 414 | 15.44 | 1 |
| 3 | South Dakota | $38 | 390 | 11.36 | 9 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $32 | 169 | 8.66 | 18 |
| 5 | Oklahoma | $29 | 525 | 9.99 | 11 |
| 6 | Kansas | $23 | 637 | 9.76 | 12 |
| 7 | Texas | $18 | 1,366 | 7.8 | 24 |
| 8 | Iowa | $18 | 360 | 8.92 | 17 |
| 9 | Missouri | $14 | 363 | 8.05 | 21 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $12 | 123 | 14.64 | 2 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | $11 | 263 | 8.37 | 19 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $10 | 428 | 9.15 | 16 |
| 13 | Arkansas | $8 | 236 | 7.64 | 25 |
| 14 | Mississippi | $8 | 148 | 3.91 | 49 |
| 15 | Georgia | $7 | 119 | 7.21 | 29 |
The relationship is real but incomplete. Texas has by far the largest total hail losses, at $575.3 million per year in the FEMA-based analysis, yet ranks only 24th for establishments per capita because its very large population dilutes the per-capita measure. Coastal hurricane states such as Florida show up strongly in the employment ranking rather than the establishment ranking. Storm exposure is one driver of contractor density, not the only one.
Original synthesis: Roofing Brief calculations
The following figures are original Roofing Brief calculations derived by combining public datasets. They are not published statistics. Each lists its inputs and limitations.
1. Roofing establishment and worker density per capita and per housing unit
For every state, the Roofing Brief divided the 2023 County Business Patterns establishment count and employee count for NAICS 238160 by the Census Bureau July 2024 population estimate and July 2024 housing unit estimate, then scaled to 100,000. Inputs: County Business Patterns 2023; Census Vintage 2024 population estimates; Census Vintage 2025 housing unit estimates. Limitation: the numerator is 2023 and the denominators are mid-2024, a lag of roughly one year, which slightly understates density in fast-growing states. County Business Patterns excludes nonemployer businesses.
2. Contractor density versus hail exposure correlation
The Roofing Brief computed a Spearman rank correlation between each state’s roofing establishments per 100,000 residents and its FEMA National Risk Index hail loss per resident, across the 15 states with the highest hail losses. The result was 0.73, a strong positive correlation. Inputs: Roofing Brief establishment-density calculation above; FEMA National Risk Index hail figures as analyzed by MoneyGeek. Limitations: the correlation covers only the 15 highest-hail states, not all 50, and rank correlation does not prove causation. Wind, wildfire, housing growth and regulation also shape contractor counts.
3. Average firm size by state
The Roofing Brief divided each state’s 2023 roofing establishment employment by its establishment count to estimate average employees per establishment. The national average is 8.4. The highest is Nevada at 19.6 and the lowest is Vermont at 3.9. Inputs: County Business Patterns 2023 establishment and employment counts. Limitation: this is a simple mean and is sensitive to a small number of large firms, especially in small states like the District of Columbia, which has only 6 establishments.
What the numbers mean
High contractor density is not automatically good news for a roofing business. States such as Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming combine strong roof-replacement demand with a crowded field of small firms, which raises local competition. States with low establishment density but large firms, such as Nevada and Florida, point to markets where scale and storm-restoration operations concentrate work in fewer, bigger companies. For contractors weighing expansion, per housing unit density and storm exposure together give a clearer read than population alone. The Roofing Opportunity Index and roofer pay by state reports add demand and wage context to the density picture here.
Recommended charts
- Choropleth map of roofing establishments per 100,000 residents by state. Data: Roofing Brief density calculation. Source: County Business Patterns 2023, Census population estimates. Insight: the Mountain West and Northern Plains cluster. Citation-worthy because it visualizes the full national gradient in one image.
- Scatter plot of contractor density against FEMA hail loss per resident for the 15 highest-hail states, with a fitted trend line. Data: density calculation and FEMA National Risk Index. Insight: the 0.73 rank correlation. Citation-worthy because it makes the storm link legible.
- Grouped bar chart comparing each state’s rank for establishments per capita versus employees per capita. Insight: the Florida and Nevada divergence between firm count and firm size. Citation-worthy because it shows two different meanings of density.
- Ranked bar chart of average employees per establishment by state. Insight: small-crew states versus large-firm states. Citation-worthy for workforce and consolidation coverage.
Methodology
Source selection favored primary government data. Establishment and employee counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160 (Roofing Contractors), all legal forms of organization, released in 2025. Population figures are the Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates for July 1, 2024. Housing unit figures are the Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates for July 1, 2024. Hail exposure figures are the FEMA National Risk Index hail metrics as compiled and reported by MoneyGeek, used as a secondary source that draws on primary federal data. The occupational roofer count is from Census American Community Survey PUMS as compiled by Data USA.
Inclusion and exclusion rules: only the 50 states and the District of Columbia are ranked. Puerto Rico was excluded because it is not in the comparable state population and housing series used here. County Business Patterns counts only employer establishments, so nonemployer businesses are excluded throughout. Where County Business Patterns flagged an employment figure for noise, the published value was still used, and no state’s roofing employment was withheld in the 2023 release. Two states carried a medium-noise flag. Per-capita and density figures are Roofing Brief calculations. Conflicting definitions of the roofing workforce, the County Business Patterns payroll count versus the occupational roofer count, are reported side by side rather than merged. Estimates were not extrapolated beyond the source years. Last updated July 2026.
Source quality ranking
Tier 1, primary government data: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 housing unit estimates.
Tier 2, government-derived risk data: FEMA National Risk Index hail metrics.
Tier 3, reputable aggregators of primary data: MoneyGeek analysis of FEMA National Risk Index; Data USA compilation of Census ACS PUMS occupational data.
Excluded: unsourced roofing-industry blog estimates, AI-generated roundups, and any figure that could not be traced to a named dataset.
Most quotable statistics
- Colorado has 15.44 roofing contractor establishments per 100,000 residents, more than four times Nevada’s 3.70.
- Florida employs 128.7 roofing workers per 100,000 residents, the most of any state, on establishments that average 13.6 employees each.
- Six of the 15 most contractor-dense states are also among the 15 highest-hail states, and density and hail loss correlate at a Spearman 0.73.
- The United States has 25,519 roofing contractor establishments, or 7.50 per 100,000 residents, employing 215,242 people.
Data limitations
County Business Patterns counts only businesses with paid employees, so the many self-employed roofers who operate without payroll are not represented. The establishment numerator is 2023 while the population and housing denominators are mid-2024, a lag that modestly lowers measured density in the fastest-growing states. The hail correlation is based on 15 states, not all 50, and correlation does not establish causation. The occupational roofer count and the County Business Patterns payroll count use different definitions and should not be added together. District of Columbia figures rest on only 6 establishments and should be read as an outlier.
Downloadable dataset, recommended fields
State, state FIPS code, roofing establishments (NAICS 238160, 2023), employees at roofing establishments (2023), resident population (July 2024), housing units (July 2024), establishments per 100,000 residents, employees per 100,000 residents, establishments per 100,000 housing units, average employees per establishment, FEMA National Risk Index hail loss per resident, contractor-density rank, employment-density rank.
Press summary
A Roofing Brief analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 County Business Patterns finds that roofing contractors are concentrated far more heavily in some states than others. Nationally there are 7.50 roofing contractor establishments and 63.3 roofing employees for every 100,000 residents, across 25,519 establishments and 215,242 workers. Colorado leads all states with 15.44 establishments per 100,000 residents, followed by Wyoming and Idaho, while Nevada is lowest among the 50 states at 3.70. Florida has the most roofing workers per capita at 128.7 per 100,000 residents, because its firms are unusually large. Contractor density tracks storm exposure. Six of the 15 densest states are also among the 15 highest-hail states, and the two measures correlate at a Spearman 0.73 across the highest-hail states. All per-capita figures are Roofing Brief calculations from Census population, housing and business data.
Suggested headlines
- Colorado Has More Roofing Contractors Per Person Than Any State, Census Data Shows
- Where Roofers Cluster: The States With the Most and Fewest Roofing Contractors Per Capita
- Hail Country Is Roofer Country: Storm Exposure and Contractor Density Move Together
- Florida Has the Most Roofing Workers Per Capita, But Not the Most Roofing Firms
- Roofing Contractor Density Ranges 18-Fold Across the United States
Frequently Asked Questions
How many roofing contractors are there per capita in the United States?
As of the 2023 County Business Patterns release, the United States had 25,519 roofing contractor establishments with paid employees, or 7.50 establishments per 100,000 residents based on the Census Bureau’s July 2024 population estimate of 340,110,988. Those establishments employed 215,242 people, or 63.3 roofing employees per 100,000 residents.
Which state has the most roofing contractors per capita?
Colorado has the highest density of roofing contractor establishments, at 15.44 per 100,000 residents in the 2023 County Business Patterns data. Wyoming (14.64) and Idaho (14.54) rank second and third.
Which state has the fewest roofing contractors per capita?
Excluding the District of Columbia, which had only 6 establishments and 0.85 per 100,000 residents, Nevada had the lowest density among the 50 states at 3.70 roofing establishments per 100,000 residents, followed by Mississippi at 3.91 and New Jersey at 3.94.
Which state has the most roofing workers per capita?
Florida leads in roofing employment density with 128.7 employees at roofing establishments per 100,000 residents in 2023, ahead of Washington (112.9) and Oregon (112.8). Florida’s roofing establishments are unusually large, averaging 13.6 employees each versus the national average of 8.4.
Does roofing contractor density track storm and hail exposure?
Partly. Six of the 15 states with the highest roofing establishment density (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Kansas) also rank among the 15 states with the highest FEMA National Risk Index hail losses per resident. A Roofing Brief rank correlation across the 15 highest-hail states found a Spearman coefficient of 0.73 between contractor density and per-resident hail loss, a strong positive relationship, though several high-density Mountain West states rank high for reasons beyond hail.
How many roofers work in the United States as an occupation?
The occupation of roofer (Standard Occupational Classification 47-2181) counted 179,518 workers in 2024 according to Census American Community Survey PUMS data compiled by Data USA, with an average annual wage of $47,116. That occupational count differs from the 215,242 payroll employees at roofing contractor establishments reported by County Business Patterns because the two measures use different definitions and industries.
Why is contractor density measured per housing unit as well as per resident?
Roofing demand is driven by buildings, not people. Measuring establishments per 100,000 housing units controls for household size and second-home markets. On that basis Idaho (34.99 establishments per 100,000 housing units) edges out Colorado (34.39) and Wyoming (30.55), a slightly different order than the per-resident ranking.
Which states have the largest roofing firms?
By average employees per establishment, Nevada leads at 19.6, followed by the District of Columbia (17.7, on only 6 firms), Florida (13.6) and Arizona (13.5). The smallest average firm sizes are in Vermont (3.9), Montana (4.1) and Wyoming (4.2), which points to markets dominated by small crews and owner-operators.
How much more concentrated is roofing in the leading state than the lagging state?
Colorado’s 15.44 roofing establishments per 100,000 residents is 4.2 times Nevada’s 3.70, the lowest among the 50 states. Measured against the District of Columbia’s 0.85, the top-to-bottom gap across all 51 jurisdictions is more than 18-fold.
What years and sources does this analysis use?
Establishment and employment counts come from the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160 (Roofing Contractors), released 2025. Population figures are the Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates for July 1, 2024. Housing unit counts are the Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates for July 1, 2024. Hail exposure figures come from the FEMA National Risk Index as analyzed by MoneyGeek. Per-capita and density ratios are Roofing Brief calculations.
Reviewed by The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed July 2026.