How much do roofers make in Minnesota in 2026?

The median roofer in Minnesota earns $74,490 a year, which works out to $35.81 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025, and it covers union and non-union workers, residential and commercial, across the full state.

The spread across the pay scale is significant. Roofers at the 25th percentile — newer workers, less specialized, or working in slower markets — earn $55,670 a year, about $26.76 an hour. Workers at the 75th percentile bring in $91,620 a year, or $44.05 an hour. That's a $35,950 gap between the lower quarter and the upper quarter of the workforce, which tells you this trade rewards experience and specialization more than most.

Roofing in Minnesota has a hard seasonality problem. The core installation season runs roughly April through October, and harsh winters can compress the billable window even further. Most roofers here work concentrated hours during that stretch, which means overtime is common in the busy months. A worker putting in 50- or 55-hour weeks from May through September will push their effective annual earnings well above what the BLS hourly rate implies on a flat 40-hour basis. On the other side, slower winters mean some workers see their annual hours drop, which can drag the annual figure down for anyone not in year-round commercial or repair work.

Commercial and industrial roofing work — TPO, EPDM, metal panel systems, built-up roofing — generally pays better than residential shingle work. Roofers who can certify on specific membrane systems or who move into foreman and crew lead roles tend to land in the upper half of the pay distribution. Flat-roof waterproofing, standing-seam metal, and green roof installation are specialty areas that carry a real wage premium in the Twin Cities metro.

Geography within Minnesota matters. The Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro concentrates the highest-paying commercial and multifamily projects, along with the densest base of roofing contractors competing for skilled workers. Rochester and Duluth have smaller but active commercial markets. Rural and northern Minnesota tends to have lower wage levels and more seasonal residential work, which is part of why statewide averages blend a wide range.

Apprenticeship is the most direct path to the upper percentiles. A structured multi-year program — whether through an employer or a joint apprenticeship — builds the skills on low-slope, steep-slope, and waterproofing systems that command higher pay. Workers who complete a full apprenticeship and add manufacturer certifications regularly land at or above the median within a few years of journeyman status.

Some roofers in Minnesota are covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates, since negotiated scales are not captured in the BLS statewide figures shown here.

The BLS OEWS data does not include self-employed roofers or owner-operators who run their own crews. Working contractors who also do their own roofing can earn substantially more or less than these figures depending on business overhead, volume, and market conditions. The numbers here reflect wage and salary employees only.

If you are evaluating whether to enter the trade, the gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is the most useful data point on this page. Getting from $26.76 to $44.05 an hour is a matter of years on the tools, specialty certifications, and willingness to take on the harder systems. The path is clear and the ceiling is real.