How much do roofers make in Alabama in 2026?

The median roofer in Alabama earns $45,670 a year, which works out to about $21.96 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of Alabama roofers earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working for a smaller residential contractor, you're more likely landing near the 25th percentile at $42,340 a year ($20.36/hr). Experienced hands on commercial or industrial roofs, or those who've moved into lead or foreman roles, are pushing the 75th percentile at $53,340 a year ($25.64/hr).

The spread between the bottom quarter and the top quarter is about $11,000 annually — that's real money, and it doesn't close by accident. The roofers at the top of the range are typically the ones who've put in five or more years, can read drawings and run a crew, and aren't turning down work when the schedule gets heavy.

Alabama's roofing season runs hard from spring through fall. The Gulf Coast humidity and summer heat mean crews start early and push long days, and that overtime adds up fast. A roofer working 10-hour days five days a week from April through October can add several thousand dollars to their annual take-home compared to someone keeping strictly to 40-hour weeks. The BLS OEWS figures used here are based on straight-time wage rates and don't capture overtime pay, so your actual annual earnings can be meaningfully higher if you're willing to put in the hours during peak season.

Geography within Alabama matters more than most workers expect. The Birmingham metro area and the Huntsville corridor tend to show stronger commercial construction pipelines, which means steadier year-round work and better pay floors. Mobile and the coastal counties get spikes of activity after hurricane seasons, which can pull rates up sharply for skilled crews who can move fast. Smaller rural markets in central and north Alabama tend to stay closer to the 25th percentile because residential re-roofing dominates, margins are thinner, and there's more price competition.

There is no union scale reported for this trade in Alabama. The state has a low union density in construction overall, and most roofers here work for non-union residential or commercial contractors. That doesn't mean wages are fixed — it means your leverage comes from skill, reputation, and the ability to handle steep-pitch, metal, or specialty roofing systems that not every crew can touch. Roofers who can work tile, standing-seam metal, TPO, and modified bitumen are worth more to contractors than someone who only knows three-tab shingles.

Alabama doesn't require a statewide roofing license for workers, but contractors must hold a state license for projects above certain dollar thresholds. If you're thinking about eventually running your own crew or going independent, understanding those contractor licensing requirements early saves headaches later. At the journeyman level, the clearest path to higher pay is through a formal apprenticeship — typically three to four years — offered through roofing contractors or, in some metro areas, through contractor associations. Apprentices earn progressively higher wages as they move through the program, usually starting around 50–60% of journeyman scale and stepping up each year.

Material knowledge and safety certifications also move the needle. OSHA 30 certification, fall protection competency, and manufacturer certifications (like GAF or CertainTeed credentialing) signal to contractors that you're a lower liability and a higher-output worker. Some commercial general contractors require OSHA 30 on larger jobs, which means workers without it simply can't be on certain sites. Getting certified costs a few days and a modest fee — it's one of the fastest returns on investment available to someone in this trade.

The numbers on this page come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release. They represent wage-and-salary workers and may not fully reflect self-employed roofers or owner-operators, whose earnings can vary widely depending on business volume and overhead.