How much do roofers make in Georgia in 2026?

The median roofer in Georgia earns $46,940 a year, which works out to about $22.57 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of roofers in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working for a smaller residential contractor, you're more likely sitting near the 25th percentile at $38,870 annually, or roughly $18.69 an hour. Experienced roofers on commercial crews or those with specialty skills push into the 75th percentile at $54,840 a year — around $26.37 an hour. These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025.

That $15,970 spread between the bottom quartile and top quartile is meaningful. It's not just seniority — it reflects the type of work you're doing, who you're doing it for, and where in Georgia you're located. A roofer laying shingles on tract housing in a rural county is not earning the same as a roofer installing TPO membrane on a warehouse complex in the Atlanta metro. Commercial and industrial roofing consistently pays more than residential, and that gap tends to widen the further you move up the experience ladder.

Atlanta drives a significant portion of the roofing demand in Georgia. The metro area has ongoing construction activity across both commercial and residential sectors, and contractors there tend to offer higher wages to compete for workers. Markets like Savannah, Augusta, and Columbus also generate steady roofing work, particularly after storm seasons, but pay in those areas often trails the Atlanta market by a few dollars an hour. Rural parts of the state — south Georgia in particular — typically see wages closer to the 25th percentile range.

Specialty certifications push pay upward. Roofers who are certified to install specific membrane systems, metal roofing, or green roofing products are in shorter supply and can negotiate better rates. OSHA 30 certification is increasingly expected on larger commercial job sites and can make the difference in getting hired for the higher-paying work. Most journeyman-level roofers without specialty credentials land somewhere between the median and the 75th percentile depending on their employer and project mix.

No union scale data is available for roofers in Georgia through BLS OEWS. The state does not have a strong union presence in roofing compared to states in the Northeast or Midwest, so most wage setting is done at the employer level. That means your negotiating position — and your ability to document your experience with specific roofing systems — matters more than it would in a union shop where scale is set by contract.

Hours are another factor. Roofing is outdoor, weather-dependent work. Georgia summers are brutal, and while the mild winters keep the season longer than many northern states, extreme heat in July and August can cut productivity and hours on some job sites. Roofers who work consistently through the full Georgia season and pick up storm-response work after hail or hurricane events can meaningfully increase their annual earnings beyond what a straight hourly rate would suggest. Storm work in particular can run long hours at premium pay for experienced crews.

If you're a roofer looking to move up the pay scale in Georgia, the clearest paths are gaining experience on commercial projects, picking up manufacturer certifications for high-demand roofing systems, and targeting contractors who work in the Atlanta metro or on large-scale commercial and industrial builds. The difference between $18.69 and $26.37 an hour is the difference between $38,870 and $54,840 a year — and for most roofers, it comes down to experience, specialization, and the type of contractor you work for.