How much do roofers make?
The median roofer in the United States earns $26.65 an hour, or $55,440 a year. The bottom 10% earn under $18.01 an hour; the top 10% clear $39.29. There are about 135,490 people doing this work nationally.
Those are US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for employed workers, which is the honest baseline — and also the number most people are actually looking for. What you can bill as a self-employed contractor is a different question, and we cover it below.
The full range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $18.01 | $37,461 |
| Median | $26.65 | $55,440 |
| Average (mean) | $27.95 | $58,136 |
| Top 10% | $39.29 | $81,723 |
The top decile earns 2.2× what the bottom decile earns, and 47% above the median. That gap is the useful part of this data: it is not really one job with one wage, it is a wide range where skill, licence and market decide where you land.
Where it pays most
Illinois pays the highest median at $37.45 an hour; Oklahoma the lowest at $21.00. That is a 1.8× difference for the same job.
Highest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $37.45 | $77,900 | +41% |
| New Jersey | $36.83 | $76,600 | +38% |
| Minnesota | $35.81 | $74,490 | +34% |
| Massachusetts | $34.98 | $72,750 | +31% |
| Alaska | $32.09 | $66,750 | +20% |
Lowest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | $21.00 | $43,680 | -21% |
| Mississippi | $21.61 | $44,940 | -19% |
| New Mexico | $21.78 | $45,300 | -18% |
| Wyoming | $21.95 | $45,650 | -18% |
| Alabama | $21.96 | $45,670 | -18% |
Cost of living explains a lot of that spread but not all of it — licensing regimes and the local mix of commercial versus residential work matter too. We have a page for all 51 jurisdictions: see every state's roofers pay data.
What actually moves the number
Commercial flat-roof and metal work pays above residential shingle work. Storm and insurance restoration work pays best of all, though it is unpredictable — see our demand calendar for how spiky roofing actually is.
Employed pay vs what you can bill
Everything above measures employed roofers — W-2 wages. If you work for yourself, your billed rate has to cover a great deal that a wage does not: self-employment tax, insurance, vehicle and tools, unbillable hours spent quoting and chasing payment, and time lost between jobs.
A useful rule is that a self-employed rate needs to be roughly two to three times the equivalent employed wage before you are genuinely ahead. Our profit margin calculator works that out properly from your own overhead rather than a rule of thumb.
FAQ
How much do roofers make an hour?
The national median is $26.65 an hour. The range runs from about $18.01 at the bottom tenth to $39.29 at the top tenth, so where you sit depends heavily on licence level, specialisation and state.
What is a good salary for a roofer?
Above the $55,440 median puts you in the upper half nationally. Clearing $81,723 puts you in the top 10% of the occupation. Adjust for your state — the gap between Illinois and Oklahoma is roughly 1.8×.
Which state pays roofers the most?
Illinois, at a median of $37.45 an hour — 41% above the national median. Cost of living offsets some of that, so compare take-home rather than headline rate.
Can roofers make six figures?
As an employee it is uncommon: the top 10% reach about $81,723. It is far more achievable running your own business, where you keep the margin on other people's labour as well as your own — but that is a different job, with the overhead and risk to match.
Where does this data come from?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, 2025 release, for Roofers (SOC 472181). It is the same source used across our state-by-state rate pages, so the figures are directly comparable.