Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 47-2181

Roofers

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Roofers, then wages beside peers such as Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Structural Iron and Steel Workers, Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining, Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Roofers: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Structural Iron and Steel Workers ($63K) , Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining ($75K) , Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas ($68K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Roofers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-2181 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures
  2. 2. Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials
  3. 3. Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs
  4. 4. Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs
  5. 5. Cement or nail flashing strips of metal or shingle over joints to make them watertight
  6. 6. Install partially overlapping layers of material over roof insulation surfaces, using chalk lines, gauges on shingling hatchets, or lines…
  7. 7. Cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces
  8. 8. Apply plastic coatings, membranes, fiberglass, or felt over sloped roofs before applying shingles
  9. 9. Install, repair, or replace single-ply roofing systems, using waterproof sheet materials such as modified plastics, elastomeric, or other…
  10. 10. Attach roofing paper to roofs in overlapping strips to form bases for other materials
  11. 11. Cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, kni…
  12. 12. Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by…

Roofers: O*NET ranks Coordination first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-2181 - lead skill Coordination at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Building and Construction. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Coordination 3.6
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.1
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.1
  4. 4. Speaking 3.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 3.0
  6. 6. Operations Monitoring 3.0
  7. 7. Operation and Control 3.0
  8. 8. Time Management 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Building and Construction 4.6
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 3.5
  3. 3. English Language 3.4
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.3
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.2
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.2
Occupation safety grade
C
Moderate Risk
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $55,440/yr
$55K
National median
↑ +6%
Growth 2024-2034
12,700
Annual openings
135,490
Estimated US jobs
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $110K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Roofers

1. District of Columbia $61,750
2. Illinois $77,900
3. Massachusetts $72,750
4. Rhode Island $61,630
5. Minnesota $74,490
6. California $63,600
7. Alaska $66,750
8. Connecticut $62,070
9. New Jersey $76,600
10. New York $66,020

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $74,500
  2. 2. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  3. 3. Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas $67,890
  4. 4. Structural Iron and Steel Workers $62,780
  5. 5. Tapers $68,270
  6. 6. Construction and Building Inspectors $74,690

Roofers carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of C from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $55,440 inside Construction and Extraction Occupations (SOC 47-2181).

Employment Projections expect +6% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 12,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: District of Columbia at $61,750. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $109,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Roofers pay-rank #36 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Roofers sits at pay-rank #36 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Safety grade C carries into what comes next for Roofers: the OEWS state map, the safest/highest-pay peers, and a head-to-head against another SOC.

Roofers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-2181

District of Columbia · top state for Roofers

$62K published median

Illinois · #2 state pay

$78K · behind District of Columbia

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Roofers · $110K

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Lower-pay peer beside Roofers · $63K

Compare Roofers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Roofers with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Roofers full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Roofers mid-table among Construction and Extraction Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #36 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Tile and Stone Setters ($56K), Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles ($56K), Extraction Workers, All Other ($57K), Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers ($57K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do roofers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Roofers. Leading ones include: Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures; Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials; Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs; Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for roofers? ▼
For SOC 47-2181, O*NET importance scores lead with Coordination (3.6), Active Listening (3.1), Critical Thinking (3.1), Speaking (3.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Roofers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $55,440 as the national median for Roofers. The published 10th-90th range is $37,460 to $81,720. Beside Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Roofers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Roofers is +6%. Projected annual openings: about 12,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Roofers? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Roofers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Roofers? ▼
District of Columbia ($61,750), Illinois ($77,900), Massachusetts ($72,750) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Roofers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-2181. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Roofers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics