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US roofing industry statistics describe several different markets. Employer roofing contractors reported $68.78 billion in 2022 receipts in the Census Bureau's SUSB data. The 2023 County Business Patterns file counted 25,519 employer locations. Those are dated business measures, not a newly measured 2026 total.
This reference brings together business receipts, payroll, workforce demand and contractor survey findings. The reporting year stays beside each number so building owners, asset managers and researchers can use the right comparison. Dollar totals describe money moving through businesses. Employment projections describe a possible future workforce. A survey percentage describes the people who answered that survey.
Key Roofing Industry Statistics at a Glance
- $68.78 billion in 2022 employer roofing-contractor receipts, Census SUSB.
- 25,519 employer establishments in 2023, Census CBP.
- 215,242 employees in the March 2023 pay period, Census CBP.
- $15.19 billion in annual payroll during 2023, Census CBP.
- 166,900 roofer jobs in the 2025 projections base, BLS.
- 5.3% projected roofer employment growth during 2025–2035, BLS.
- 78% expected 2026 sales growth in the fall 2025 contractor survey, Roofing Contractor.
- 40% reported using AI in that 2025 survey, Roofing Contractor.
How large is the US roofing contractor industry?
Employer roofing contractors recorded $68,783,457,000 in receipts in 2022, according to Census SUSB.
That historical employer total provides a defined starting point for a roofing market-size discussion. It does not include every sole operator without payroll. It does not isolate commercial projects. It should not be presented as the industry's revenue in 2026.
A materials market estimate answers a different question from a contractor-receipts estimate. Manufacturers sell products into a supply chain. Distributors sell products to contractors. Contractors sell completed work and services to customers. Adding those stages together can count the same roofing project more than once.
Before comparing market reports, check the boundary around the estimate. Is the figure for the United States or the world? Does it cover materials, installation, maintenance or a mixture? Is the number historical, modeled for the current year or projected for a future year? A large dollar figure without those details is difficult to use in a capital request.
For a property owner, national receipts provide industry context. A roof capital plan still needs measured roof area, documented condition, a defined assembly and local project pricing.
How many employer roofing locations operate in the United States?
The Census Bureau's 2023 CBP file reports 25,519 roofing-contractor establishments.
An establishment is a physical business location. A company may operate several locations. Census defines the distinction in its CBP glossary. The establishment total is not a count of roofing crews, individual roofers, licensed businesses or separate parent companies.
The industry category is NAICS 238160. It includes establishments primarily engaged in roofing and roof treatment. A company that performs roofing alongside another larger line of work may be classified under that other main activity. The classification boundary matters when comparing this count with a commercial directory.
A directory can serve a useful prospecting purpose without matching a federal industry dataset. Its records may include multiple trade categories, branches, inactive listings or businesses without employees. For a sourceable industry reference, retain the original unit instead of replacing “establishments” with “companies.”
How many people work for roofing businesses?
Employer roofing establishments had 215,242 paid employees during the March 2023 reference pay period, according to Census CBP.
This business-industry total includes the people employed at establishments classified as roofing contractors. Their jobs can include field installation, estimating, administration, management and sales. It is broader than the roofer occupation.
A business count and a workforce count help answer different purchasing questions. A market can contain many small establishments and still have limited capacity for a large occupied-building reroof. A contractor's local crew, supervision, project backlog and experience with the proposed assembly matter more to that decision than a national employee total.
Ask who will perform the work and who will supervise it. Clarify the role of subcontractors, the proposed schedule and the process for documenting concealed conditions. A commercial roof evaluation can establish the condition record and scope before prices are compared.
How much do roofing employers spend on payroll?
The 2023 CBP national file reports $15,185,724,000 in annual roofing-contractor payroll.
Payroll is not industry revenue, profit or the full labor line in an installed roof price. It is a separate business measure. A project price may include materials, equipment, subcontracted work, supervision, insurance and overhead that are outside a direct wage comparison.
Keep payroll periods aligned when examining changes. A March employment snapshot and a full calendar year's payroll are different time measures. Dividing one by the other creates a ratio, not a published employee salary.
For an owner reviewing bids, a wage figure cannot explain the entire price difference between proposals. The more useful comparison checks whether bidders priced the same removal, insulation, drainage, flashing and warranty requirements. CRA's guide to commercial roofing bid scope explains the questions to raise before accepting a low number.
How fast is the roofing workforce expected to grow?
BLS's 2025–2035 projections put roofer employment growth at 5.3% over the decade.
This forecast concerns the roofer occupation across industries. It is not a roofing-revenue growth rate, a forecast of material shipments or a promise that every local market will expand at the same pace.
For planning, separate changes in the number of workers from changes in output or price. Businesses can report higher sales revenue when prices rise, without completing more roof area. A contractor can expand into a new region without increasing capacity in the market where an owner needs work.
A national projection is useful background for a long capital program. Near-term scheduling still requires local conversations. Ask contractors for proposed mobilization dates, committed crews and the assumptions behind their delivery dates.
What did contractors expect for sales in 2026?
78% of respondents expected sales volumes to increase in 2026 in Roofing Contractor's survey conducted in fall 2025.
The respondents were publication subscribers and registered users who received an incentive. This is a survey outlook, not a national revenue growth calculation or a completed measurement of 2026 results.
An optimism percentage describes how many respondents selected an answer. It does not state the percentage by which their sales will grow. Those two meanings are easy to confuse in headlines and graphics.
A contractor's outlook is one input to project timing. Compare it with current proposals, local availability and the condition of the roof. An occupied building with active water entry needs a different response from a stable assembly being considered for a future budget cycle.
How common is AI use among roofing contractors?
40% of survey respondents reported AI use in 2025, according to Roofing Contractor.
The question measures reported use, not verified savings, installation quality or the accuracy of an automated inspection. Technology adoption alone does not establish a better roofing outcome.
For building owners, the practical question is what evidence supports a recommendation. A roof report should identify the observations, photographs and tests behind its conclusion. Ask where a tool assisted the process and who reviewed the result.
Use the same discipline for industry statistics. Retain the source, reporting period, population and unit. Keep estimates separate from actual results. Compare matching measures before drawing a trend.
Turn industry context into a property decision
Commercial Roofing Advisors combines roof assessments, capital planning and commercial roofing services for building owners and portfolio teams. Discuss your roof or portfolio to connect the broader market context with a documented condition, scope and budget decision.