How much do roofers make in South Carolina in 2026?

The median roofer in South Carolina earns $45,760 per year, which works out to roughly $22.00 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 entry-level residential jobs, expect to land closer to the 25th percentile at $37,990 a year ($18.26/hr). Experienced roofers on larger commercial or industrial projects tend to sit at the 75th percentile — $52,760 annually, or about $25.37 an hour.

These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. They represent base straight-time wages and do not include overtime, per diem, bonuses, or the value of employer-paid benefits like health insurance or retirement contributions.

Experience is the single biggest driver of where you fall in that range. A new helper spending their first season on residential tear-offs in the Columbia or Myrtle Beach markets will realistically start at or below the 25th percentile. After two to three years — once you're competent at flashing, ridge work, and reading a roof's drainage pattern — expect to move into the $42,000–$46,000 range. A lead roofer or crew foreman managing a team on multi-family or light commercial work in the Charleston or Greenville metro areas can push toward or past the 75th percentile.

Geography within South Carolina matters more than most workers realize. The coastal markets — Charleston, Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach — see consistent demand driven by new construction, storm repair, and a large inventory of aging residential roofs. That demand can push wages slightly above state median, particularly for roofers willing to take on storm-season surge work. Inland markets like Spartanburg and Florence tend to run closer to or below the state median, though cost of living is also lower there.

Seasonality is a real factor in this trade. South Carolina's climate is relatively mild, so roofers typically work year-round, but hurricane season and severe thunderstorm events can create short bursts of intense demand — and overtime hours — between June and October. A roofer pulling consistent 50-hour weeks during a busy storm season can meaningfully outpace the annual figures shown here, since overtime (typically 1.5x the base rate) isn't captured in the BLS data.

No union scale data is available for roofers in South Carolina. The state has a very limited union presence in the roofing trade, and most roofers work for non-union residential or commercial contractors. That means pay is largely set by individual employer, job type, and your ability to demonstrate skill and reliability. There's no collective bargaining baseline to anchor wages the way there is in states like Illinois or New York.

Licensing in South Carolina adds direct earning power. The state requires a contractor's license for roofing work above certain dollar thresholds, but journeyman-level roofers who hold certifications from manufacturers — GAF, CertainTeed, Owens Corning — are often preferred by contractors bidding on warranty-backed jobs. Those credentials don't just help the employer; they give you negotiating leverage when asking for a raise or moving to a new company.

To move your pay up, the clearest paths are: specializing in commercial flat roofing (TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen) which commands higher rates than standard shingle work; picking up crew lead or foreman responsibilities; or gaining experience in metal roofing, which is increasingly common on agricultural and light industrial buildings across the state. Roofers who can also do related work — gutters, skylights, solar panel prep — are more valuable to contractors and can negotiate accordingly.

The spread between the 25th and 75th percentile in South Carolina is about $14,770 per year. That gap exists almost entirely because of experience, specialization, and employer type — not luck. Knowing where you stand in that range and what skills push you to the next tier is the practical starting point for any negotiation.