How much do roofers make in Massachusetts in 2026?

The median roofer salary in Massachusetts is $72,750 per year, which works out to roughly $34.98 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the pack — half of roofers in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or still building your skills, expect to land closer to the 25th percentile at $59,870 a year ($28.78/hr). Experienced roofers who have put in the years and built a specialty — steep-slope, low-slope, metal roofing, or slate restoration — are more likely to land at the 75th percentile and above, which starts at $83,100 ($39.95/hr). These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is $23,230 a year. That's not small — it's the difference between a worker still figuring out how to work efficiently on a steep pitch and a lead installer who can read blueprints, manage a small crew, and work with multiple roofing systems. If you're sitting near the bottom of that range, understanding exactly what's pushing wages up is worth your time.

Experience is the single biggest driver of where you fall in the range. Most roofers in Massachusetts start as helpers or laborers, often working for a residential contractor doing tear-offs and basic installation. Pay at that stage reflects the physical nature of the work — carrying bundles, managing hot kettles, running materials — more than technical expertise. As you learn layout, flashing, waterproofing membrane installation, and how to troubleshoot leaks, your value to a contractor goes up and so does your hourly rate.

Roofing in Massachusetts is a seasonal trade, and that matters for your annual earnings as much as your hourly rate does. The state's winters cut into outdoor roofing work from roughly December through March, though some contractors push through with flat/low-slope commercial work that's less weather-dependent. Roofers who can work year-round — because their employer does commercial, industrial, or interior waterproofing work during the cold months — will consistently out-earn those limited to seasonal residential work. Overtime during the spring and summer push can also add meaningfully to take-home pay. A roofer putting in 50-hour weeks from April through October is pulling well above a straight 40-hour calculation.

Geography within Massachusetts affects pay more than most workers expect. The Boston metro area — including Cambridge, Quincy, and the surrounding suburbs — concentrates a large share of commercial and high-end residential roofing work, and that competitive market for skilled labor pushes wages higher. Western Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley, and the Cape Cod area tend to track lower, partly because the commercial project volume is smaller and partly because cost-of-living pressures on contractors are different.

Specialty roofing work commands a premium in this state. Massachusetts has a large stock of older buildings — triple-deckers, historic commercial blocks, Victorian-era residences — that require slate, clay tile, and copper flashing work. Roofers who develop these skills are rare, and contractors who specialize in restoration and historic preservation tend to pay above the median to keep them. If you have or can get training in any of these systems, it's one of the cleaner paths to the upper portion of the wage range without waiting years for seniority alone to move you up.

Licensing in Massachusetts is handled at the Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) level for residential work and through the Construction Supervisor License (CSL) for those running jobs. As a wage-earning roofer, you don't personally need a license to work on a crew — but if you're aiming to eventually run your own jobs or move into a lead role, getting your CSL opens doors and is frequently a negotiating point for higher pay. Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

The BLS numbers here are a solid benchmark, but they're a survey average and have limitations. They don't capture cash payments, per-diem arrangements, or the value of benefits like health insurance and retirement contributions that some larger roofing contractors offer. They also don't fully reflect overtime earnings. If you're comparing job offers, factor in all of those elements — a job paying $32/hr with full health benefits and consistent year-round work can be worth more in practice than a $36/hr job with seasonal layoffs and no benefits.