How Much Do Roofers Make? (Per Hour, Per Year, Per Roof)

The short answer

Employed roofers commonly earn $18 to $30 an hour, roughly $40,000 to $60,000 a year. The jump comes from running the business: a contractor who sells the jobs and manages a crew keeps the margin on $5,000 to $25,000 roofs, which puts a busy independent in the $80,000 to $150,000+ range.

The money is in selling and managing, not nailing

On the roof, you are paid for labor. The real income is in quoting accurately, selling the job, and keeping a crew productive across several roofs a week. That is why the owner out-earns the crew by a wide margin.

Per year

• Employed roofer: roughly $40,000 to $60,000.
• Crew lead / foreman: roughly $55,000 to $75,000.
• Roofing contractor who owns the business: $80,000 to $150,000 and up.

How roofers earn more

• Move from swinging a hammer to inspecting, quoting, and selling.
• Offer metal and premium materials, not just asphalt.
• Build storm and insurance-restoration work.
• Subcontract crews so you can run several roofs at once.