Across 13 major U.S. metros, the roof cost-to-income ratio, the price of a full roof replacement measured against local median household income, ranges from about 13% in Washington, DC to roughly 23% in New York, based on The Roofing Brief’s 2026 metro roof pricing paired with U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 income data. The headline finding: the metro where a new roof hurts the most is not the metro with the priciest roofs. Local income, not the sticker price, decides the burden.
This report ranks metros by roof burden, defined as the midpoint cost of a full architectural-shingle replacement divided by one year of local median household income. It is deliberately distinct from two related Roofing Brief reports: the roof replacement cost by metro ranking, which compares raw dollar prices, and the state-level Roofing Affordability Index, which measures cost against income across all 50 states. Here the lens is the metro, and the metric is share of a household’s annual pay.
Which metros have the highest roof cost-to-income ratio?
New York carries the heaviest new-roof burden of the 13 metros: a full replacement costs about 23% of one year’s median household income, close to a quarter of gross annual pay. Seattle and Chicago follow near 22%. Washington, DC sits lightest at roughly 13%, even though a DC roof costs more in raw dollars than one in Houston, Phoenix, or San Antonio. The table below ranks each metro from heaviest to lightest burden.
| Rank (heaviest burden) | Metro | Roof replacement midpoint, 2026 | Median household income, ACS 2024 | Cost-to-income ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $23,000 | ~$100,000 | ~23.0% |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $25,000 | ~$115,000 | ~21.7% |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | $18,900 | ~$87,000 | ~21.7% |
| 4 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $24,000 | $135,590 | ~17.7% |
| 5 | Denver, CO | $18,000 | ~$107,000 | ~16.8% |
| 6 | Houston, TX | $13,500 | ~$81,000 | ~16.7% |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $18,500 | ~$117,000 | ~15.8% |
| 8 | Atlanta, GA | $14,000 | ~$89,000 | ~15.7% |
| 9 | Los Angeles, CA | $15,000 | ~$96,000 | ~15.6% |
| 10 | Dallas, TX | $14,000 | ~$90,000 | ~15.6% |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $13,000 | ~$86,000 | ~15.1% |
| 12 | San Antonio, TX | $11,500 | $78,112 | ~14.7% |
| 13 | Washington, DC | $16,000 | ~$126,000 | ~12.7% |
Roof midpoints are for a full tear-off and re-cover in architectural asphalt shingles on a 1,700 to 2,200 square foot single-family roof, from The Roofing Brief’s roof replacement cost by metro report (2026). Income figures are metro median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 (report ACSBR-025, September 2025). Ratios are indicative and rounded; see the methodology and limitations sections.
Why the priciest roofs are not the biggest burden
The absolute-cost ranking reshuffles once you divide by local income. The San Francisco Bay Area has the second-priciest roofs of any metro at about $24,000 (The Roofing Brief, 2026), yet it lands near the middle of the burden ranking at roughly 18%, because Bay Area median household income of $135,590 is the highest in the nation (Census ACS 2024). A high price on a high income can be a lighter load than a moderate price on a moderate income.
New York and Chicago show the reverse. Neither has the country’s most expensive roofs, but both carry the heaviest burden, near 22% to 23%, because metro incomes near $100,000 in New York and $87,000 in Chicago (Census ACS 2024) do not keep pace with local roofing prices. Washington, DC illustrates the same logic from the other direction: a $16,000 roof is above the national norm, but against a metro income near $126,000 it is the lightest burden in the table at about 13%.
This extends to the metro level a pattern The Roofing Brief found at the state level in its Roofing Affordability Index (2026): income, more than contractor pricing, drives where roofs are hard to afford. Among these 13 metros, roof midpoints vary about 2.2 times from lowest to highest, while median household income varies about 1.7 times. When the two move together, as in the Bay Area, burden stays contained. When price outruns local income, as in Chicago and New York, burden climbs.
How the metro roof cost-to-income index was built
The index divides a metro’s midpoint roof replacement cost by that metro’s median household income, then expresses the result as a percentage of one year’s pay. Both inputs come from named sources and a single, constant job definition, so the metros are compared on like terms.
- Roof cost. The 2026 midpoint for a full tear-off and re-cover in architectural asphalt shingles on a 1,700 to 2,200 square foot single-family roof, taken from The Roofing Brief’s roof replacement cost by metro report, which draws on Angi and Modernize 2026 local price guides and cross-checks roofer wages against the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024).
- Income. Metro median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2024 (report ACSBR-025, published September 2025). Exact published values are used where available (San Francisco $135,590, San Antonio $78,112); remaining metro incomes are read from ACSBR-025 Figure 3 and rounded to the nearest $1,000.
- Ratio. Cost-to-income ratio equals roof midpoint divided by metro median household income, times 100. Metros are ranked from the highest ratio (heaviest burden) to the lowest.
For national context, the U.S. median household income was $81,604 in 2024 (Census ACS 2024), and a national-average roof replacement runs roughly $9,500 for a typical asphalt-shingle job (HomeAdvisor, 2025), about 12% of the U.S. median. The priciest metros push that share past 20%.
What a 15% to 23% roof burden means for a household
A roof that costs 15% to 23% of annual income is a major, often unplanned, expense measured against pre-tax pay. After income and payroll taxes, the share of take-home pay is higher still, which is why many households finance the work rather than pay cash. The ratios here describe gross-income burden, not what a specific homeowner can afford, since savings, home equity, and insurance coverage all vary.
- Financing shifts the timing, not the size. Spreading a $20,000 roof over a loan lowers the monthly hit but adds interest, so total cost rises. See how contractor financing works in roofers that finance.
- Insurance can absorb storm damage. Where a roof fails from a covered peril such as hail or wind, an insurance claim can cover much of the replacement, moving the real burden well below the table’s gross-price ratio.
- Lower-burden paths exist. Repairs, partial replacement, and shopping multiple bids can cut the outlay, as covered in affordable roof repair.
Burden also compounds with who defers maintenance. The Roofing Brief’s report on deferred roof repair by income finds lower-income households are likelier to postpone roof work, so a high cost-to-income ratio often lands hardest on the households least able to absorb it.
Limitations of this metro burden index
This index is indicative, not a precise affordability score. Roof midpoints are single points inside wide local ranges, for example Chicago spans roughly $8,300 to $30,700 for the same job (The Roofing Brief, 2026), so a household’s actual ratio can sit well above or below the metro figure depending on roof size, pitch, material, and access. Metal, tile, and slate roofs cost more than the architectural-shingle job priced here.
Income is gross metro median household income, which understates burden for below-median and single-earner households and for retirees on fixed incomes. Metro incomes other than the two exact published values are read from a Census chart and rounded to the nearest $1,000, adding roughly one point of uncertainty to those ratios. Metro boundaries are broad, so a suburb and an urban core inside the same metro can face very different real prices and incomes. Treat the ratios as bands, not exact figures.
Frequently asked questions
Which U.S. metro has the highest roof cost-to-income ratio? Of the 13 major metros analyzed, New York has the highest, at about 23% of median household income for a full architectural-shingle replacement, based on The Roofing Brief’s 2026 metro roof pricing and Census ACS 2024 income. Seattle and Chicago follow near 22%. These are gross-income ratios and should be read as indicative bands.
Why does San Francisco have costly roofs but a lower burden? San Francisco Bay Area roofs are the second most expensive of the 13 metros at about $24,000 (The Roofing Brief, 2026), but Bay Area median household income is the highest in the nation at $135,590 (Census ACS 2024). Dividing a high price by an even higher income yields a burden near 18%, lighter than in New York or Chicago.
What share of income should a roof replacement be? There is no fixed rule, and the affordable share depends on savings, equity, and whether insurance applies. As a benchmark, a national-average roof near $9,500 is about 12% of the U.S. median household income of $81,604 (Census ACS 2024). In the priciest metros the share exceeds 20%, so a roof can be a far larger commitment than the national figure suggests.
How is the roof cost-to-income ratio calculated? It divides a metro’s midpoint roof replacement cost by that metro’s median household income, then multiplies by 100. Roof midpoints come from The Roofing Brief’s roof replacement cost by metro report (2026) for one constant job, a full tear-off and re-cover in architectural shingles. Income comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024.
Where is a new roof most affordable relative to income? Of the 13 metros, Washington, DC has the lightest burden at about 13%, because a $16,000 roof sits against a high metro income near $126,000 (Census ACS 2024). Absolute price alone can mislead: a DC roof costs more in dollars than a Houston or San Antonio roof, yet takes a smaller share of local income.
Does a higher roof price always mean less affordable? No. Because burden is price divided by income, a higher-priced roof in a high-income metro can be more affordable than a cheaper roof in a lower-income metro. Among these 13 metros, roof prices vary about 2.2 times while incomes vary about 1.7 times, so income differences reorder the affordability ranking substantially.
Reviewed by The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed July 2026.