Roofers

OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin

Overview

Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.

Explore Pathways

Titles for this career often contain these words

SOURCES:

2018 SOC codes

2020 CareerOneStop

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Responsibilities and activities

Roofers typically do the following:

Inspect problem roofs to determine the best way to repair them
Measure roofs to calculate the quantities of materials needed
Replace damaged or rotting joists or plywood
Remove existing roof systems
Install vapor barriers or layers of insulation
Install roof ventilation
Install shingles, asphalt, metal, or other materials to make the roof weatherproof
Align roofing materials with edges of the roof
Cut roofing materials to fit around walls or vents
Cover exposed nail or screw heads with roofing cement or caulk to prevent leakage

Properly installing and repairing roofs keeps water from leaking into buildings and damaging the interior, including equipment and furnishings. Roofers install or repair two basic types of roofs: low slope and steep slope.

Low-slope roofs are the most common, as they are typical on commercial, industrial, and apartment buildings. The complexity of installing low-slope roofs varies with the type of building. Roofers may install these roofs in layers, building up piles of felt set in hot bitumen over insulation boards to form a waterproof membrane. They also may install a single-ply membrane of waterproof rubber or thermoplastic compound over roof insulation boards.

Steep-slope roofs are typical on single-family homes. Roofers commonly install asphalt shingles, although they may also lay tile, solar shingles, metal shingles, slate, or shakes (rough wooden shingles) on steep-slope roofs.

Roofers also install green technology rooftop applications. These include vegetative roofs, rainwater harvesting systems, and photovoltaic products, such as solar shingles and solar tiles; however, solar photovoltaic (PV) installers typically install PV panels. Plumbers and heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics also may install solar thermal systems.

Roofers use a variety of tools when installing or repairing roofs. Their tools include roofing shovels, roof cutters, and pry bars to remove old roofing systems and hammers, nail guns, and framing squares to install new ones.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Salary

Median salary: $43,580 annually

Half of those employed in this career earn between $33,810 and $56,860.

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Context: Median Salary

How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Fewer details

Salary growth for roofers

Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.

Experience quotient percentile

Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?

Salary distribution

Number employed

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

About Roofers

How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.

Employee has health insurance

Employer is providing health insurance

SOURCES:

2018-2020 CPS

2019 ACS microdata

Worker concerns

Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of roofers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.

High Places (100%)
Responsible for Others' Health (91%)
Time Pressure (81%)
Exposed to Contaminants (77%)
Hazardous Conditions (68%)
Hazardous Equipment (65%)
Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (61%)
Consequence of Error (37%)
High Conflict Frequency (33%)

SOURCES:

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Personality and skills

Can you see yourself in the ranks of Roofers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.

Ability to work at heights

Roofers must be comfortable working at great heights.

Attention to detail

Roofing materials must be installed to precisely match design patterns and to ensure that the roof is waterproof. 

Balance

Roofers should have excellent balance to avoid falling, because they often work on steep slopes at great heights.

Manual dexterity

Roofers need to be precise in handling and installing roofing materials in order to prevent damage to the roof and building.

Math skills

Roofers use math to measure and calculate roofing areas. 

Physical stamina

Roofers must be able to endure spending hours on their feet or bending and stooping, often in hot weather.

Physical strength

Roofers often lift and carry heavy materials, such as bundles of shingles that weigh 60 pounds or more.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Injury and Illness

About 361 roofers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 99% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.

Soreness and pain

Heat (thermal) burns

Fractures

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

Education pathways to this career

Education attained by roofers

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), roofers typically hold no formal educational credential.

Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as roofers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.

Details: Education and training recommended for roofers

No formal educational credential is typically required for roofers.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for roofers

Roofers may obtain specific certification to qualify for additional work opportunities or greater pay.

The National Roofing Contractors Association offers certification for experienced roofers. Experienced roofers may become certified in various roofing systems, such as thermoplastic systems or asphalt shingles. Certification as a roofing foreman is also available for experienced roofers.

Most employers require that roofers complete safety certification that meets Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, either before or after being hired.

Some employers require roofers to have a driver’s license to enable commuting to different jobsites.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Education level of Roofers

Only 3% of roofers have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education attained by roofers

None

High School

Some College

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Professional Degree

Doctorate

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Award levels

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Programs recommended by the Department of Education

The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click the program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.

Roofer

SOURCES:

2010 CIP Codes

Where are the jobs

State-by-state employment numbers

Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.

Select a state to see local area details

Number of Roofers per 1,000 workers (ACS)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Job density versus job count

Which states hire the most roofers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as roofers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.

Salaries by state

Let's get a feel for where roofers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...

Median salary versus state ratio

We use two methods to compare salaries across states:

In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for roofers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for roofers.

We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.

The darkest shading corresponds to states in which roofers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.

Select a state to see local area details

Location-adjusted median salary for Roofers (ACS)

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

2019 BEA Regional Price Parities

Employment

15% of Roofers are working part time.

We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 15% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 57% of careers.