- The middle half earn between $18.04 and $27.53 an hour.
- South Dakota ranks 36th of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- South Dakota pays more than 2 of its 6 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 400 roofers on payrolls in South Dakota.
- At the state median wage, a roofing company needs to bill about $110.87 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Roofer pay in South Dakota, bottom to top
The BLS group covers roofers on shingle, tile, metal and flat roofs, on new work and repairs.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $16.61 | $34,550 | $18.01 |
| 25th percentile | $18.04 | $37,510 | $22.24 |
| Median | $22.94 | $47,710 | $26.65 |
| 75th percentile | $27.53 | $57,270 | $31.44 |
| 90th percentile | $28.46 | $59,200 | $39.29 |
| Average (mean) | $22.59 | $46,980 | $27.95 |
Pay is bunched up in South Dakota. The top tenth earn $28.46 an hour or more, about 1.7 times the $16.61 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.2 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $1.40 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $10.83 less than the national top tenth.
The average wage ($22.59) is a little under the median, so the low end of the range stretches further than the high end in South Dakota.
How South Dakota compares with other states
Over a full year, the South Dakota median of $47,710 is $7,730 less than the national $55,440.
In the state ranking, South Dakota sits 36th, between Virginia ($23.28) and Florida ($22.88). The range runs from $21.00 in Oklahoma to $37.45 in Illinois.
Against its neighboring states, South Dakota is in the middle: Iowa, Minnesota, Montana and North Dakota pay more, and Nebraska and Wyoming pay less.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
How many roofers work in South Dakota
About 400 roofers work on payrolls in South Dakota, 0.3% of the 135,490 nationwide, the 42nd largest count among the states.
That is 0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in South Dakota, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a roofing company in South Dakota should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a roofing company in South Dakota paying the state median of $22.94, on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $22.94 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $51,365 |
| Break-even rate | ($51,365 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $94.24 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $94.24 ÷ 0.85 | $110.87 |
That is $110.87 per billable hour, 4.8 times the wage, and $6.52 less than the $117.39 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $27.53 in South Dakota, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $118.94.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $18.04, the rate only drops to $102.27.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a roofer in South Dakota
- Licensing. What South Dakota asks for before you can work on your own: Roofing license in South Dakota.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how roofing companies run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2181, roofers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: roofer salary by state.