# HOW MANY ROOFING COMPANIES ARE IN THE US? 2026 COUNTS BY STATE REFERENCE

> How many roofing companies are in the US? Compare federal firm and establishment counts, plus a sourced state table with clear employer-only definitions.

Canonical: https://commercialroofingadvisors.com/resources/how-many-roofing-companies-us

Last updated: 2026-08-24

Federal roofing business counts separate employer firms from locations and provide a consistent 2023 table for every state and DC.

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The United States had **24,044 employer roofing-contractor firms in 2022**, according to [Census SUSB](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb/tables/2022/us_6digitnaics_rcptsize_2022.xlsx). A newer [2023 CBP count](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) reports **25,519 employer establishments**. The first number counts firms. The second counts business locations. They are different measures from different years.

This page keeps those distinctions visible and provides a state table drawn directly from the federal establishment file. It is intended for researchers and building owners who need a defensible count rather than a directory total without a clear population. The figures cover employer roofing contractors, not every self-employed roofer or every business listing.

## Key Roofing Business Counts at a Glance

- **24,044 employer firms** in 2022, [Census SUSB](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb/tables/2022/us_6digitnaics_rcptsize_2022.xlsx).
- **24,532 employer locations** in 2022, [Census SUSB](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb/tables/2022/us_6digitnaics_rcptsize_2022.xlsx).
- **25,519 employer locations** in 2023, [Census CBP](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip).
- **215,242 paid employees** in March 2023, [Census CBP](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip).
- **16,661 locations in the fewer-than-five-employee class** in 2023, [Census CBP](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip).
- **2,926 California locations** in 2023, [Census's state file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23st.zip).
- **2,442 Texas locations** in 2023, [Census's state file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23st.zip).
- **2,215 Florida locations** in 2023, [Census's state file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23st.zip).

## How many roofing companies does the federal firm count identify?

[Census SUSB's 2022 file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/susb/tables/2022/us_6digitnaics_rcptsize_2022.xlsx) identifies **24,044 firms operating 24,532 roofing-contractor establishments**.

A firm can control more than one business location. The [Census glossary](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/about/glossary.html) distinguishes a company or enterprise from an establishment. A branch is not automatically a separate company.

For an owner sourcing a contractor across several markets, the difference has a practical use. Ask whether a proposed location is owned by the contracting company, a franchise, an affiliated business or an independent subcontractor. The national firm count does not resolve that relationship for an individual bidder.

Keep the two federal units separate in charts. “Employer roofing companies, 2022” can describe the firm measure. “Employer roofing locations, 2023” can describe the establishment measure. Neither should be relabeled as a complete count of active licensed roofers in 2026.

## How many roofing establishments are in the newer business-location file?

The [2023 CBP national file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) counts **25,519 establishments** in NAICS 238160.

These are locations with paid employees during the year, not the number of companies with staff present on every day. Census's [definition of establishment size](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/about/glossary.html) explains why the smallest class can include a location with no employees in the mid-March pay period that paid wages at another point in the year.

The classification follows an establishment's main activity. A business directory may instead assign several service labels to the same company. Those approaches can produce different counts without either being a census of the other one's population.

Use an establishment count for a question about locations. Use a firm count for a question about enterprises. Use an occupational employment estimate for a question about workers. The shared word “roofing” does not make those measures interchangeable.

## How many employer roofing locations are in each state?

California had **2,926**, Texas **2,442** and Florida **2,215** in the [2023 Census state file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23st.zip).

The full table uses the same year, six-digit industry code and all-legal-form row for every state. Counts include residential and commercial roofing establishments together. A state total does not identify the contractors qualified for a particular membrane or project.

| State or district | Employer establishments, 2023 |
| --- | --- |
| Alabama | 305 |
| Alaska | 69 |
| Arizona | 542 |
| Arkansas | 236 |
| California | 2,926 |
| Colorado | 920 |
| Connecticut | 176 |
| Delaware | 67 |
| District of Columbia | 6 |
| Florida | 2,215 |
| Georgia | 806 |
| Hawaii | 95 |
| Idaho | 291 |
| Illinois | 1,026 |
| Indiana | 557 |
| Iowa | 289 |
| Kansas | 290 |
| Kentucky | 255 |
| Louisiana | 267 |
| Maine | 110 |
| Maryland | 341 |
| Massachusetts | 433 |
| Michigan | 509 |
| Minnesota | 530 |
| Mississippi | 115 |
| Missouri | 503 |
| Montana | 152 |
| Nebraska | 267 |
| Nevada | 121 |
| New Hampshire | 75 |
| New Jersey | 374 |
| New Mexico | 204 |
| New York | 838 |
| North Carolina | 816 |
| North Dakota | 69 |
| Ohio | 908 |
| Oklahoma | 409 |
| Oregon | 515 |
| Pennsylvania | 876 |
| Rhode Island | 79 |
| South Carolina | 300 |
| South Dakota | 105 |
| Tennessee | 423 |
| Texas | 2,442 |
| Utah | 354 |
| Vermont | 84 |
| Virginia | 556 |
| Washington | 990 |
| West Virginia | 98 |
| Wisconsin | 499 |
| Wyoming | 86 |

Source for every row is the [Census Bureau's 2023 CBP state dataset](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23st.zip), NAICS 238160, all legal forms. These figures count employer establishments and exclude territories from this state-and-district table.

## How much of the industry consists of very small employer locations?

[Census CBP](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) lists **16,661 locations in its fewer-than-five-employee class in 2023**.

That establishment-size measure describes a location, not the total staffing of a parent company with branches. It includes the annual-employer situations described in the Census definition above. It should not be converted into a claim that each location has a permanent crew of that size.

A small location can serve a useful role in local repair work. A larger footprint can support wider geographic coverage. Neither business size proves installation quality, safety performance or financial strength.

For a commercial project, review the bidder's proposed resources against the actual scope. Ask about supervision, references for similar occupied buildings, access restrictions, manufacturer requirements and how the work will be documented. A [roof evaluation](https://commercialroofingadvisors.com/services/roof-evaluations) can establish the building-side evidence before the bidding process begins.

## How many people are employed at roofing businesses?

The [2023 CBP file](https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp/datasets/2023/cbp23us.zip) records **215,242 employees during its March reference pay period**.

This includes jobs at roofing establishments across occupations. It is not a count of installers alone. The administrative team, estimators and other employees belong in an industry payroll count, but they do not all belong in the roofer occupation.

The same issue appears when comparing a contractor's headcount with a project crew. Total employees are not the number of workers assigned to a single roof. Ask for the people and roles proposed for the property instead of assuming capacity from a company-wide figure.

## Why do online roofing-company totals differ?

The federal series above uses **NAICS 238160**, the roofing-contractor industry code in the [Census data](https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/2023/econ/cbp/2023-cbp.html).

Other lists may begin with business registrations, map listings, trade licenses, company websites or broad service categories. A list of records can contain branches and duplicate identities. A license roster can exclude unlicensed activity and include businesses that hold a credential but are not currently taking work.

None of those lists should be added to CBP as if they were separate pieces of one measured population. Before using a total, ask who is counted, what the unit is, how records are deduplicated and when they were checked.

A complete current count that includes every employer and nonemployer roofing company is not established by the files used here. The table should retain its employer-establishment label.

## How should owners use the state counts?

Use the state table as background for market research, then build a property-specific shortlist. A national or statewide count does not establish local availability, commercial experience or coverage for a multi-site program.

For a portfolio, [standardized roof specifications](https://commercialroofingadvisors.com/roof-report/standardizing-roof-specs-across-a-portfolio) can help prospective contractors understand the required assemblies and documentation. That makes the sourcing exercise more concrete than starting with a large directory and treating every listing as equivalent.

Commercial Roofing Advisors supports evaluations, scope development and commercial roofing work for owners and asset managers. [Discuss the properties and work you need covered](https://commercialroofingadvisors.com/contact) to connect contractor selection with the condition and requirements of the roofs.

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