Salary & Licensing · Updated May 2026

Roofer salary by state

Name: U.S. Roofer Wages by State (median and 10th–90th percentile)
Creator: JobStack
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

What roofers earn in every state — median pay and the real 10th-to-90th percentile range — plus state-by-state licensing, the states with no license, the taxes you may owe, and the gotchas that trip people up.

Key facts

National median wage: $55,440 (mean $58,140); range from under $37,460 (10th) to over $81,720 (90th) — BLS, May 2025.
Highest-paying: Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Alaska (medians ~$67,000–$78,000). Lowest: Oklahoma, Mississippi, and New Mexico (~$44,000–$45,000).
~32 states require a state roofing or contractor license (some only registration); Texas, Colorado, and Indiana have none at the state level.
Insurance is critical: liability and workers' comp matter more here than in most trades because of fall risk.

National pay range

A single figure hides a wide spread. Nationally, roofer pay ranges like this (BLS, May 2025):

Percentile	Annual wage
Bottom 10%	$37,460
25th percentile	$46,260
Median (50th)	$55,440
75th percentile	$65,390
Top 10%	$81,720

Mean (average) wage: $58,140. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (national).

Roofer salary by state

Median annual wage with the actual 10th–90th percentile range, highest to lowest. National median: $55,440.

Rank	State	Median	10th–90th range
1	Illinois	$77,900	$46,600 – $106,530
2	New Jersey	$76,600	$45,230 – $103,720
3	Minnesota	$74,490	$46,020 – $99,170
4	Massachusetts	$72,750	$50,790 – $106,290
5	Alaska	$66,750	$48,630 – $92,450
6	New York	$66,020	$47,000 – $95,040
7	California	$63,600	$48,620 – $89,010
8	Connecticut	$62,070	$47,730 – $96,070
9	District of Columbia	$61,750	$47,470 – $101,570
10	Rhode Island	$61,630	$43,450 – $93,740
11	Washington	$60,640	$47,860 – $104,000
12	Maryland	$60,090	$45,760 – $80,470
13	New Hampshire	$59,830	$46,920 – $100,040
14	North Dakota	$59,740	$46,050 – $87,360
15	Hawaii	$59,580	$45,860 – $79,400
16	Michigan	$59,530	$41,910 – $80,270
17	Delaware	$59,440	$35,640 – $73,900
18	Wisconsin	$59,370	$39,130 – $78,380
19	Vermont	$59,040	$45,380 – $63,250
20	Montana	$59,030	$46,020 – $71,920
21	Oregon	$58,970	$45,880 – $95,700
22	Indiana	$57,980	$39,830 – $89,240
23	Idaho	$57,790	$35,780 – $71,860
24	Pennsylvania	$55,710	$40,480 – $76,700
25	Colorado	$51,750	$45,820 – $73,370
26	West Virginia	$51,170	$28,660 – $69,820
27	Nevada	$51,090	$37,960 – $79,680
28	Maine	$50,120	$44,890 – $64,430
29	Ohio	$49,390	$39,940 – $75,340
30	North Carolina	$49,010	$36,760 – $60,600
31	Louisiana	$48,760	$36,140 – $84,590
32	Utah	$48,680	$30,160 – $67,390
33	Iowa	$48,660	$37,070 – $65,010
34	Missouri	$48,570	$38,470 – $78,710
35	Virginia	$48,420	$38,220 – $66,420
36	South Dakota	$47,710	$34,550 – $59,200
37	Florida	$47,590	$33,240 – $63,810
38	Arkansas	$47,470	$31,200 – $58,270
39	Arizona	$47,340	$35,910 – $62,620
40	Kansas	$47,190	$37,240 – $81,540
41	Georgia	$46,940	$32,070 – $63,720
42	Kentucky	$46,940	$38,220 – $65,470
43	Nebraska	$46,460	$37,480 – $59,670
44	Texas	$46,030	$34,120 – $61,560
45	South Carolina	$45,760	$36,030 – $61,860
46	Tennessee	$45,690	$32,180 – $61,340
47	Alabama	$45,670	$36,120 – $60,920
48	Wyoming	$45,650	$37,110 – $62,490
49	New Mexico	$45,300	$35,880 – $73,850
50	Mississippi	$44,940	$35,280 – $62,830
51	Oklahoma	$43,680	$30,800 – $81,720

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (SOC 47-2181, roofers), via the BLS public API. Actual per-state median and 10th/90th-percentile wages; not cost-of-living adjusted; self-employed roofers excluded.

Licensing requirements by state

Roofing is more regulated than most exterior trades. Around 32 states require a state-level roofing or contractor license (some require only registration), and many set a project-value threshold — for example, California requires a license for work over $500. Expect roughly 2–4 years of experience, a trade exam, business registration, and insurance.

A handful of states — including Texas, Colorado, and Indiana — have no state roofing license, though local permitting still applies (and Kansas requires registration with the Attorney General's office). States like Florida (certified vs. registered), California, and Arizona (residential/commercial specialty licenses via the Registrar of Contractors) have specific, defined pathways. Always verify with your state board and local jurisdiction.

Do you charge sales tax on roofing work?

Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default.
New York taxes repair/maintenance/installation; Texas exempts residential real-property repair labor but taxes commercial in full.
Many states treat a full re-roof as a real-property improvement (the contractor pays tax on materials) while taxing smaller repairs to the customer.

General information, not tax advice. Confirm with your state revenue department.

Other gotchas

Insurance and workers' comp are make-or-break — fall risk makes coverage costly but essential, and required to pull permits.
Some states require registration even where no license is needed (e.g., Kansas).
Storm/insurance-claim work brings extra rules in many states (contractor can't act as a public adjuster).
"No state license" still means local permitting and rules apply.

Salary vs. what you can charge

These are employee wages — BLS doesn't survey the self-employed. If you run your own crew, your take-home depends on what you charge and how many jobs you close. Work out your rate with the free hourly rate calculator.

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Roofer salary & licensing FAQ

How much do roofers make?

The national median wage for roofers is $55,440 a year (mean $58,140), per BLS May 2025 data. The lowest 10% earn under $37,460 and the top 10% earn over $81,720. State medians range from about $44,000 to nearly $78,000.

Which states pay roofers the most?

By median wage, the highest-paying are Illinois (~$77,900), New Jersey (~$76,600), Minnesota (~$74,490), Massachusetts (~$72,750), and Alaska (~$66,750).

Which states pay roofers the least?

The lowest median wages are in Oklahoma (~$43,680), Mississippi (~$44,940), New Mexico (~$45,300), Wyoming (~$45,650), and Alabama (~$45,670).

Do you need a license to be a roofer?

Often, yes. Around 32 states require a state-level roofing or contractor license (some require only registration), and many set a project-value threshold — California, for instance, requires a license above $500. A few states, including Texas, Colorado, and Indiana, have no state roofing license, though local permitting applies (Kansas requires registration with the Attorney General). Florida, California, and Arizona have specific, defined roofing license pathways.

Do roofers charge sales tax on their work?

It depends on the state and job. Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default; many states tax repairs but exempt real-property improvements (a re-roof is often treated as an improvement). This isn't tax advice — confirm with your state revenue department.

Methodology & sources

Wage figures — national and per-state median, 10th, and 90th percentiles — are from the BLS OEWS program, May 2025, for SOC 47-2181, via the BLS public API. Not cost-of-living adjusted; self-employed excluded. Licensing details are compiled from state boards and industry guides; tax treatment from state revenue departments. Verify with the relevant board and revenue department. Not legal or tax advice.

More: salary by state for other trades, the roof replacement cost guide, and JobStack for roofers. Free to cite with attribution to JobStack.