How to become a roofer

How to become a roofer, step by step

1. Get hired on a roofing crew. No formal education is required.
2. Complete safety training that meets OSHA guidelines, before or after you are hired. Most employers require it.
3. Learn on the job: carrying material and setting up scaffolds first, then measuring, cutting and fitting, then laying shingles.
4. Take on more roof types over the years. Some materials come up rarely, so it can take several years to see them all.
5. If you want to contract on your own, check whether your state licenses roofing or folds it into a contractor license.

Apprenticeship and on-the-job training

A few groups sponsor roofing apprenticeships. They combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, usually with a set number of hours for each.

Starting pay for apprentices is usually 50 percent of what journey workers make, with raises as they move through the program.

Find registered openings near you in the Apprenticeship Job Finder. In each state page below, we note whether the state runs its own apprenticeship agency or works through the U.S. Department of Labor.

Trade school and other ways in

On the job. Most roofers learn from experienced roofers who teach them the tools, equipment, machines and materials. Within a few months, trainees measure, cut and fit roofing materials.

Apprenticeship. Less common, but available in some areas through a few sponsoring groups, with set hours of training on the job and in class.

Licenses and exams

There is no national roofing license. Some states license roofing contractors on their own, some fold roofing into a general contractor license and some leave it to cities. The state rows below show which.

Of the 45 states we have checked against the official boards, 10 require a state roofing license, 29 license only part of the work, and 6 leave it to cities and counties. Every state, with fees and forms: roofing licenses by state.

Certifications

OSHA safety training. Most employers require safety certification that meets OSHA guidelines, either before or after hiring.

Product certifications. Roofers can earn specific certifications that qualify them for more work or better pay.

What roofers earn

Roofers earned a median $26.65 an hour in May 2025. The lowest-paid tenth earned under $18.01 and the top tenth over $39.29.

Among the states with a page below, the highest medians are in Illinois ($37.45), California ($30.58) and Hawaii ($28.64).

BLS counts 166,900 jobs for roofers and projects 5 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,000 openings a year.

Pay in every state: roofer salary by state.

From the truck to your own shop

Experienced roofers can move up to supervisor, job superintendent or estimator, or start their own business.

Union roofers can move into roles such as business manager or apprenticeship instructor.

Before you go out on your own, price your hours. At the national median of $26.65, the labor rate calculator gives $117.39 per billable hour on its starting numbers.

The full checklist: how to start a roofing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.