How Much Does A Roofer Make? Real Pay Numbers

Hello guys, welcome back to my blog. So a lot of you keep asking me how much does a roofer make, and honestly the answer is not just one number. I went through official wage data and also read a ton of real discussions from roofers, crew leads, and business owners on Reddit, and I want to share all of it with you today.

If you are thinking about becoming a roofer, or you just want to know if your quote from a roofing company is fair, this blog is going to help you a lot. I added tables, real numbers, and honest Reddit quotes too, so lets get into it.

The Short Answer First

Ok guys, before I explain everything, let me just give you the number first. As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for roofers in the United States is $55,440, which comes out to about $26.65 an hour. But other job sites show slightly different averages, so I put them all in one table below.

Source	Average Hourly Pay	Average Annual Pay
Bureau of Labor Statistics	$26.65/hr	$55,440/yr
Indeed	$25.38/hr	Not listed
ZipRecruiter	$25.07/hr	$52,142/yr
Housecall Pro	$20–$25/hr	$50,970/yr

My honest opinion, these numbers are all close to each other, so I think a fair average for a regular roofer in the US is somewhere around $25 an hour. But this changes a lot based on experience, location, and what type of roofing you do, so keep reading.

Average Pay By Experience Level

This part I think is very useful because pay is not fixed, it grows a lot with experience. Here is a percentile based table from SubcontractorHub that breaks it down nicely.

Experience Level	Annual Pay	Hourly Rate
Entry level (helpers, first season)	$37,460	$18.01
Developing (still building speed)	$46,260	Around $22.24
Median (typical experienced roofer)	$55,440	$26.65
Senior (crew leads, senior installers)	$65,390	Around $31.44
Top tier (commercial, union, foremen)	$81,720	$39.29

As you can see, a brand new roofer starts a lot lower, but a senior installer or foreman can make more then double the entry level pay. I think this is a good motivation to stick with it if you are just starting out.

What Real Roofers Say About Their Hourly Pay

Numbers from job sites are good, but I always think real people talking about their own paycheck tells a better story. So I dug through Reddit and found some honest comments.

One person on r/Salary shared their actual rate and it was pretty rough, saying, “18.75 an hour… ouch” This shows that entry-level pay can be on the lower end depending on the company and area.

On the other hand, commercial and service roofers report much better numbers. One roofer on r/Roofing said, “Commercial guys are 25-38/hr. Service techs are 25-40hr.” So specializing in commercial or service work seems to pay noticeably more then regular residential crew work.

And if you are in a union, the pay jumps up even more. Someone shared, “Chicago, union journeymen $49.25/hr.” I think this is a huge number compared to entry level, and honestly it makes joining a union sound very tempting if it is available in your area.

Getting Paid By The Square

A lot of roofing crews don’t get paid a flat hourly rate, they get paid by the square, which is basically 100 square feet of roof. This is called piece-rate pay, and it changes based on how hard the job is.

One roofer explained their own crew’s pay structure, saying, “We pay my crews basically comes out to 80/sq for a simple single story not steep roof.” So a faster and more skilled crew can actually make more money per hour under this system, because they get paid for the job, not the hours.

My honest opinion, piece-rate pay rewards hard work more, but it also means slower weeks can hurt your paycheck a lot. So it is a trade off between higher potential and less stability.

What Roofing Business Owners Actually Make

This is where things get interesting, because owning a roofing business sounds like it should make you rich, but the real story is more complicated.

One small owner-operator shared their real numbers from a single job, saying, “Profit of 14,500 or $302 per hour. Not a large company, just 2 guys working for themselves.” That sounds amazing on paper, but that is not every week, and it does not include slow seasons or big equipment cost.

Another roofer gave a more realistic range, explaining, “I’ve seen anywhere from 20% to 40% profit for owner depending on how things are structured.” I think this is the most honest answer, owner income depends heavily on how the business is run, not just how many roofs get done.

Someone else pointed out the hidden costs that eat into that profit, saying, “You’re forgetting to factor in a lot of costs. Workplace insurance, cost of capital investment in tools, … disposal of the old roof is expensive.” So guys, a big job total does not mean the owner is keeping all of it, a lot goes back into running the business.

Roofing Sales, The Highest Earning Path

If you ask me, this is the part that surprises most people. Roofing sales reps, especially the ones who work storm damage claims, can make way more then the crews actually installing the roof.

One sales rep shared their income casually, saying, “I am at $100k YTD and work about 2 days a week with a couple phone calls here and there.” I think that is a crazy good return on time if it is true, but obviously top performers are not the average.

Another comment broke down how many roofs it actually takes to hit six figures, explaining, “Typically this is 1099 work though so you’re responsible for more in taxes. … You’d have to sell around 135 small roofs or 50 larger roofs a year to make about $100,000.” So it is not easy money, it still needs a lot of consistent selling.

And during storm season, top sales guys can go even higher. One person shared, “I am at $240K YTD right now. I might clear 500 this year.” My honest opinion, sales is high risk high reward, some years can be amazing and other years can be very slow depending on storms and market.

Top Paying States For Roofers

Location changes your paycheck a lot too. Here is a table from JobNimbus showing the highest paying states in the country right now.

State	Median Pay	90th Percentile Pay
Illinois	$77,900	$106,530
New Jersey	$76,600	$103,720
Minnesota	$74,490	$99,170
Massachusetts	$72,750	$106,290

So if you live in one of these states, your pay is probably going to be well above the national average. On the flip side, states like Oklahoma pay a lot less, around $43,680 median, so where you work really does matter a lot.

Things That Can Affect A Roofer’s Actual Take-Home Pay

Now let me tell you about some things that don’t show up in a simple hourly number but change your actual take home pay a lot.

Seasonal Work And Layoffs

Roofing work is not steady all year in a lot of places. One person warned about this on r/Salary, saying, “You need to save a lot during the times you are working because you will be laid off a lot.” So even a good hourly rate does not always mean steady weekly income, especially in winter areas.

Cash Pay And Subcontract Crews

A lot of roofing work, especially with smaller subcontract crews, gets paid in cash, and this can be lower then what gets reported officially. Someone shared an old example, saying, “they pay his workers 100 a day, including lunch.” I think this shows why official average numbers don’t always match what real workers on the ground are getting.

Quick Facts Table

I always like to add a quick fact table so you guys can scan everything fast.

Fact	Detail
National median roofer wage	$55,440/yr ($26.65/hr)
Entry-level pay	Around $18/hr
Commercial/service roofer pay	$25–$40/hr
Union journeymen pay (example)	Around $49/hr
Owner profit margin	20% to 40% typically
Top sales rep income	$100k to $240k+/yr
Highest paying state	Illinois ($77,900/yr median)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much does a roofer make on average? A: The national median is $55,440 a year, or about $26.65 an hour, but it can range a lot based on experience and location.

Q: How much does a roofer make when just starting out? A: Entry-level roofers usually start around $18 an hour, and that grows a lot with experience.

Q: Do roofing business owners make a lot of money? A: It depends a lot, owner profit is usually 20% to 40% of a job, but tools, insurance, and slow seasons all cut into that.

Q: Can roofing sales pay more then actual roofing work? A: Yes, top roofing sales reps working on commission can make $100,000 to over $200,000 a year, way more then most hourly roofers.

Q: Which state pays roofers the most? A: Illinois currently pays the highest median, around $77,900 a year, based on recent industry data.

Final Words

So guys, this was my full breakdown on how much does a roofer make, from entry-level hourly workers all the way up to business owners and top sales reps. I have tried to mix official numbers with honest Reddit stories so you get the real picture, not just one flat number. My honest opinion, this trade can pay really well if you move up into commercial work, union jobs, or sales, but it takes time and hustle to get there. Keep on visiting Write For Us Roofing for more info like this.