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Roofing workforce statistics depend on the counting method. BLS's May 2025 employer wage survey estimated 135,490 roofer jobs. Its broader employment-projections series used a 2025 base of 166,900 jobs, including self-employment. Those figures should be presented with their definitions rather than treated as competing answers to the same question.
This reference separates employment, wages, worker age and future openings. The data years stay visible throughout. For a building owner, the numbers provide useful labor context, but they do not replace a local contractor's proposed crew, supervision or project schedule.
Key Roofing Workforce Statistics at a Glance
- 135,490 roofer jobs in the May 2025 employer survey, BLS OEWS.
- 166,900 jobs in the broader 2025 employment base, BLS projections.
- $58,140 annual mean wage in May 2025, BLS OEWS.
- $55,440 annual median wage in May 2025, BLS OOH.
- $26.65 hourly median wage in May 2025, BLS OEWS.
- 5.3% projected employment growth during 2025–2035, BLS projections.
- 12,000 projected annual openings, 2025–2035 average, BLS projections.
- 19.8% self-employed in the 2025 employment base, BLS projections.
- 36.6 years median age in the 2025 household-survey estimate, BLS CPS, an 11-month average excluding October.
How many roofers work in the United States?
BLS OEWS estimated 135,490 wage-and-salary roofer jobs in May 2025.
The OEWS technical notes explain that the employer survey excludes self-employed workers and certain owners and partners. It counts jobs reported by employers, rather than every person who describes roofing as their trade.
This occupation is SOC 47-2181. It covers roofers across the industries where they work. It is not the total number of people on roofing-company payrolls, which can include estimators, office staff, salespeople and other occupations.
A workforce count is different from a count of roofing businesses. Neither tells an owner how many qualified crews are available near a property this month. For a planned project, ask about the people proposed for the job, their system experience and who will be responsible for field decisions.
Why does another BLS series show more roofer jobs?
The BLS projections base records 166,900 roofer jobs in 2025, including a broader employment population.
The series is designed to support a long-term occupational forecast. The employer wage survey serves a different statistical purpose. Their coverage and methods differ, so the gap should not be used as a stand-alone calculation of missing, informal or undocumented workers.
Readers can choose the series that answers their question. Use OEWS to describe employee wages and its employment estimate. Use the employment matrix to describe its broader base and projected changes. Keep the original year and source attached to each figure.
For internal reports, label the data columns before entering the values. A column called “roofers” without a period or method invites accidental comparisons that look precise but describe different populations.
What is the average roofer salary?
The annual mean wage was $58,140 in May 2025, according to BLS OEWS.
The mean is the arithmetic average. It answers the usual numerical meaning of “average roofer salary.” It should not be substituted for the median, which describes the middle of the wage distribution.
These are employee wage estimates, not a business owner's profit, a subcontractor's invoice or a homeowner's installed roofing cost. Benefits, overtime and the full cost of employing a crew are not captured by the wage alone.
A contractor preparing a bid must account for more than direct pay. Equipment, supervision, materials, insurance, travel and project conditions all belong in a work price. National wage data can inform a discussion about labor, but they cannot validate or reject an individual roofing proposal on their own.
What is the median roofer wage?
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports $55,440 annually in May 2025.
The median splits the wage distribution in half. It is a useful companion to the mean because higher-paid jobs can pull an average upward. Neither measure describes every roofer or promises a new worker that pay level.
BLS OEWS lists the hourly median at $26.65 for May 2025. An hourly rate is often easier to compare with a job offer, but the full compensation package and expected working hours still matter.
For a commercial owner, a wage series is background. The bid review should focus on whether each proposal includes the same assembly, removal, detail work and documentation. CRA's guide to commercial roofing bid scope offers a starting point for that comparison.
How wide is the roofer wage range?
In May 2025, the bottom tenth earned less than $37,460 and the top tenth more than $81,720, according to BLS OOH.
These are percentile boundaries, not the lowest and highest salaries recorded. Experience, location, work setting and other differences sit behind the national wage distribution. The figures do not identify a single cause for the range.
Use a local wage estimate and a clearly defined role for recruiting or pay decisions. A beginner, an experienced installer and a field supervisor are different hiring needs. A national occupation label cannot describe every employer's responsibilities or compensation structure.
How fast is roofer employment projected to grow?
BLS's detailed table projects 5.3% growth during 2025–2035.
The handbook rounds that forecast to a whole-number percentage. A change between the rounded and detailed display is not a separate forecast or a revision.
This is projected occupational employment growth, not a roofing market-revenue forecast. It does not indicate that contractor prices, roof area installed or business profits will grow at the same rate.
A long-term staffing forecast can help frame recruitment and training plans. For an owner planning roofing work, use it as context and confirm the proposed local delivery resources. A condition-based capital plan can identify work early enough to discuss procurement timing before an immediate roof problem decides the schedule.
How many roofer job openings are expected each year?
BLS projects about 12,000 annual openings on average during 2025–2035.
Openings and net employment growth are different measures. Openings include opportunities created when workers leave the occupation or labor force, alongside growth. They should not be described as a fresh addition of that many roofers to the workforce every year.
That distinction matters in a labor-shortage discussion. A forecast of openings does not measure the number of unfilled jobs today. It does not supply a nationwide roofing vacancy rate or prove how difficult hiring is in a particular market.
For contractor selection, ask about current staffing and committed work. A national forecast cannot confirm that the right people will be available for a specified start date.
What share of roofers are self-employed?
The 2025 BLS employment matrix lists 19.8% as self-employed.
This share describes workers in that occupational employment base. It is not the percentage of roofing companies with no employees and should not be added directly to a business-establishment count.
Self-employment can involve different arrangements. For a commercial project, clarify which legal entity is contracting for the work, who employs or contracts with the crew, and who provides supervision. The percentage alone does not answer those questions.
A roof evaluation and documented scope can establish the building requirements before bidders explain how they will resource the work.
What is the age of the roofing workforce?
The 2025 CPS table gives roofers a median age of 36.6 years.
This is a median, not an arithmetic average. The 2025 annual estimate averages 11 months because October data were not collected during the federal shutdown. BLS warns that these annual estimates are not strictly comparable with other years.
The household survey and the employer survey use different methods and populations. Their employment estimates should not be spliced into a single trend line. An age measure from the household survey cannot establish the experience level or retirement plans of a proposed contractor's crew.
For an owner, the useful questions concern training, supervision and relevant installation experience. Ask for evidence tied to the actual team and scope.
Connect labor context with a workable roofing plan
Commercial Roofing Advisors supports evaluations, capital planning and commercial roofing installation, repair, restoration and replacement. Discuss the building and decision timeline to develop a scope and procurement plan supported by current roof conditions.