Roofers

Summary

Roofers must wear safety equipment, including harnesses, on a steep-slope roof.

Quick Facts: Roofers
2010 Median Pay	$34,220 per year $16.45 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Less than high school
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	136,700
Job Outlook, 2010-20	18% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	24,400

What Roofers Do

Roofers repair and install the roofs of buildings using a variety of materials, including shingles, asphalt, and metal.

Work Environment

Roofing work is strenuous and tiring. It involves heavy lifting, as well as climbing and bending. Work-related injuries for roofers are among the highest of all occupations.

How to Become a Roofer

Although most roofers learn informally on the job, some learn their trade through a formal apprenticeship program.

Pay

The median annual wage of roofers was $34,220 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of roofers is expected to grow 18 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The need to replace workers who leave the occupation will be the main source of job openings.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of roofers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about roofers by contacting these additional resources.

What Roofers Do About this section

Roofers commonly apply asphalt shingles.

Roofers repair and install the roofs of buildings using a variety of materials, including shingles, asphalt, and metal.

Duties

Roofers typically do the following:

• Inspect problem roofs to determine the best way to repair them
• Measure roof to calculate the quantities of materials needed
• Replace damaged or rotting joists or plywood
• Install vapor barriers or layers of insulation
• Install shingles, asphalt, metal, or other materials to make the roof watertight
• Align roofing materials with edges of the roof
• Cut roofing materials to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces
• Cover exposed nail or screw heads with roofing cement or caulk to prevent leakage

Properly installed roofs keep water from leaking into buildings and damaging the interior, equipment, or furnishings.

There are two basic types of roofs, low-slope and steep-slope:

• Low-slope: About two-thirds of all roofs are low-slope. Most commercial, industrial, and apartment buildings have low-slope roofs. Low-slope roofs rise 4 inches or less per horizontal foot and are installed in layers.
  
  For low-slope roofs, roofers typically use several layers of roofing materials or felt membranes stuck together with hot bitumen (a tar-like substance). They glaze the top layer to make a smooth surface or embed gravel in the hot bitumen to make a rough surface.
  
  An increasing number of low-slope roofs are covered with a single-ply membrane of waterproof rubber or thermoplastic compounds.

• Steep-slope: Most of the remaining roofs are steep-slope. Most single-family houses have steep-slope roofs. Steep-slope roofs rise more than 4 inches per horizontal foot.
  
  For steep-slope roofs, roofers typically use asphalt shingles, which often cost less than other coverings. On steep-slope roofs, some roofers also install tile, solar shingles, fiberglass shingles, metal shingles, or shakes (rough wooden shingles).
  
  To apply shingles, roofers first lay, cut, and tack 3-foot strips of roofing over the entire roof. Then, starting from the bottom edge, they nail overlapping rows of shingles to the roof.

A small but increasing number of buildings now have “green” roofs that incorporate landscape roofing systems. A landscape roofing system typically begins with a single or multiple waterproof layers. After that layer is proven to be leak free, roofers put a root barrier over it, and, finally, layers of soil, in which vegetation is planted. Roofers must ensure that the roof is watertight and can endure the weight and water needs of the plants.

Work Environment About this section

Roofers use a variety of tools, such as a heat gun, to install a roll of roofing.

Roofers held about 136,700 jobs in 2010, of which 67 percent were employed in the roofing contractors industry. About 27 percent were self-employed.

Roofing work is strenuous and tiring. It often involves heavy lifting, as well as climbing, bending, and kneeling. Roofers work outdoors in all types of weather, particularly when making repairs. However, they rarely work when it rains or when it is very cold because snow-covered or icy roofs are especially dangerous. Although some roofers work alone, many work as part of a crew.

Injuries

Roofers have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Workers may slip or fall from scaffolds, ladders, or roofs. They may get burns from hot bitumen. However, proper safety precautions can prevent most accidents. Roofs can also become extremely hot during the summer, which can cause heat-related illnesses.

Work Schedules

Like many construction workers, most roofers work full time. In northern states, roofing work is limited during the winter months. During the summer, roofers may work overtime to complete jobs quickly, especially before rainfall. About 27 percent of roofers were self-employed in 2010. Self-employed workers may be able to set their own schedules.

How to Become a Roofer About this section

Most roofers learn their trade on the job.

There are no specific educational requirements for roofers. Although most roofers learn informally on the job, some learn their trade through a formal apprenticeship program.

Training

Most on-the-job training programs consist of informal instruction in which experienced workers teach new workers how to use roofing tools, equipment, machines, and materials. Trainees begin with tasks such as carrying equipment and material and erecting scaffolds and hoists. Within 2 or 3 months, they are taught to measure, cut, and fit roofing materials and, later, to lay asphalt or fiberglass shingles. Because some roofing materials, such as solar tiles, are used infrequently, it can take several years to get experience working on all types of roofing. As training progresses, assignments become more complex, and trainees can usually do finishing work within a short time.

Some roofers learn through a 3-year apprenticeship. For each year of the program, apprentices must have at least 144 hours of related technical training and 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training. Apprentices learn construction basics, such as blueprint reading, mathematics, building code requirements, and safety and first-aid practices.

After completing an apprenticeship program, roofers are considered journey workers who can do tasks on their own.

Several groups sponsor apprenticeship programs, including unions and contractor associations. The basic qualifications to enter an apprenticeship program are as follows:

• Minimum age of 18
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Physically able to do the work

Education

Although there are no formal educational requirements for roofers, high school courses in math, shop, mechanical drawing, and blueprint reading are helpful.

Important Qualities

Balance. Roofing is often done on steep slopes at significant heights. As a result, workers should have excellent balance to avoid falling.

Physical strength. Roofers often lift and carry heavy materials. Some roofers, for example, must carry bundles of shingles that weigh 70 pounds or more.

Stamina. Roofers must have endurance to perform strenuous duties throughout the day. They may spend hours on their feet, bending and stooping—often in hot temperatures—with few breaks.

Unafraid of heights. Because work is often done at significant heights, roofers must not fear working far above the ground.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of roofers was $34,220 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount, and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,030, and the top 10 percent earned more than $60,610.

The starting pay for apprentices is usually between 30 percent and 50 percent of what fully trained workers make. They get pay increases as they gain more skill.

Like many construction workers, most roofers work full time. In northern states, roofing work is limited during the winter months. During the summer, roofers may work overtime to complete jobs quickly, especially before rainfall. About 27 percent of roofers were self-employed in 2010. Self-employed workers may be able to set their own schedules.

About 6 percent of roofers are members of a union. The largest organizer of roofers is the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of roofers is expected to grow 18 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

Roofs deteriorate more quickly than most other parts of buildings and, as a result, they need to be repaired or replaced more often. In fact, results of a National Roofing Contractors Association survey indicate that about three-fourths of all roofing work is for repair and replacement.

Areas of the country that commonly have severe storms have a greater need for workers to repair and replace storm-damaged roofs. In addition to repair and replacement work, the need to install roofs on new buildings should result in some job growth.

However, more roofing work is now being done by other construction workers, and that may slow job growth for traditional roofing contractors.

Job Prospects

Job opportunities for roofers will occur primarily because of the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. The proportion of roofers who leave the occupation each year is higher than in most construction trades—roofing work is hot, strenuous, and dirty, and a considerable number of workers treat roofing as a temporary job until they find other work. Some roofers leave the occupation to go into other construction trades. Jobs are generally easier to find during spring and summer.

Like many other construction occupations, employment of roofers is somewhat sensitive to fluctuations in the economy. Workers may experience periods of unemployment when the overall level of construction falls. However, shortages of workers may occur in some areas during peak periods of building activity. Demand for roofers is less vulnerable to downturns than demand for other construction trades because much roofing work consists of repair and reroofing, in addition to new construction.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities for roofers, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, local contractors or firms that employ roofers, or local union-management apprenticeship committees. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor's toll free help line, 1 (877) 872-5627, or Employment and Training Administration.

For information about the work of roofers, visit

National Roofing Contractors Association

United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers