When you hire a roofer you are, in most counties, hiring a small company. Census data on roofing contractors (NAICS 238160) in the counties around 158 of our cities show a median of 62.2% of roofing firms with fewer than five employees. Federal wage data show a spread of tens of thousands of dollars between states for the same job. Neither fact says anything about quality, but both explain things homeowners notice: why quotes differ, why crews change, and why the person who sold the job may not be the person on the roof.
How big are roofing firms?
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns counts establishments with paid employees. Across the 145 counties in our directory with data, there are 4,507 roofing establishments employing 41,814 people, an average of 9.3 paid employees per establishment, and the county median is 8.3. Owners who work alone without employees are not counted at all, so the real share of very small operators is larger than these tables show.
| County | Roofing firms | Paid employees | Employees per firm | Firms under 5 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris, TX | 301 | 2,649 | 8.8 | 66.1% |
| Lee, FL | 123 | 3,118 | 25.3 | 50.4% |
| Jefferson, CO | 121 | 457 | 3.8 | 87.6% |
| Oklahoma, OK | 121 | 903 | 7.5 | 69.4% |
| Wake, NC | 118 | 1,336 | 11.3 | 66.9% |
| Denver, CO | 103 | 715 | 6.9 | 75.7% |
| Douglas, NE | 94 | 661 | 7.0 | 67.0% |
| Adams, CO | 92 | 1,163 | 12.6 | 72.8% |
| Tulsa, OK | 90 | 430 | 4.8 | 82.2% |
| Ada, ID | 87 | 630 | 7.2 | 65.5% |
Harris County, Texas (Houston) has the most firms, 301, with 66.1% under five employees. The highest small-firm shares among the counties are Ector (100.0%), Sangamon (90.5%) and Jefferson (87.6%). Lee County, Florida (Cape Coral and Fort Myers) shows the opposite: 3,118 employees across 123 firms, 25.3 each, with 50.4% under five.
What a roofer earns, by state
Illinois is highest at $77,900 and Oklahoma lowest at $43,680, a gap of $34,220 a year, with a median across the states of $48,615. Employment is just as uneven: Illinois reports 5,300 roofer jobs in the survey, Mississippi 480.
| State | Median roofer wage | Roofer jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $77,900 | 5,300 |
| Minnesota | $74,490 | 1,890 |
| Washington | $60,640 | 5,890 |
| Michigan | $59,530 | 3,090 |
| Wisconsin | $59,370 | 2,400 |
| Tennessee | $45,690 | 2,110 |
| Alabama | $45,670 | 1,010 |
| New Mexico | $45,300 | 1,160 |
| Mississippi | $44,940 | 480 |
| Oklahoma | $43,680 | 1,260 |
Wage is one input to a quote. Materials, disposal, permits, roof size and pitch, insurance and warranty add to it, and the tear-off labor is only part. A high-wage state does not automatically mean a high bid, and our city cost pages show what quotes actually run to in each market.
A small company is normal in this trade and is not a warning sign by itself. What matters is what you can check: a license where the state issues one, current liability and workers' compensation coverage, a written scope, and who will actually be on site. Our guide on choosing a licensed, insured roofing contractor lists the questions, and how verification works explains what our badge does and does not confirm.
Why the crew size matters when you compare quotes
A firm with one or two crews often sells the job, schedules it and works on it with the same few people, so the person who walks your roof is the person you can call afterward. Larger firms usually separate selling from installing, and some use subcontracted crews. Neither model is better by default. What it changes is the questions worth asking: who will be on site, whether they are employees or subcontractors, who carries the insurance on the day, and who answers a call if a leak appears in the second winter. Put the answers in the written scope of work.
Reading these numbers carefully
- County, not city. The Census counts by county. Cities in one county, such as Cape Coral and Fort Myers in Lee County, share the same row.
- Noise by design. The Census adds statistical noise to employee counts to protect confidentiality, so small differences between counties mean little.
- Employers only. One-person firms with no employees are outside the data. Subcontracted crews are counted with the firm that employs them, not the one that sold the job.
- Wages are medians. The BLS figure is a median of annual pay for roofers employed in the state, from a sample survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are most roofing companies small?
In the counties we cover, yes. The median share of roofing establishments with fewer than five paid employees is 62.2%, according to Census County Business Patterns 2023.
How much does a roofer earn in the United States?
Among the 28 states in our data, the median annual roofer wage runs from $43,680 in Oklahoma to $77,900 in Illinois (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Does a bigger roofing company mean better work?
Not necessarily. Size says nothing about quality, which depends on licensing, insurance, workmanship and warranty. Check each of those directly.
Why do roofing quotes differ so much in the same city?
Scope, materials, roof complexity, the company's overhead and how it prices risk all differ. Wages are a factor, but only one.
Where the numbers come from
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns (NAICS 238160, 2023)
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS: Roofers (SOC 47-2181), May 2025
Data: Census County Business Patterns 2023 for the counties of our directory cities; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state level. Processed by PickARoofer.
Sources
How we write and fund our articles: editorial policy.
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