Roof replacement cost by state

A roof costs about 45% more in Alaska than in Arkansas. That gap is almost entirely labor. Shingles cost roughly the same everywhere because they are shipped nationally from a handful of plants; roofers do not, and a state where a roofer earns $38 an hour cannot produce a roof at the price of a state where one earns $22.

The table below prices the same roof in every state: 20 squares of architectural asphalt shingle, standard pitch, single story, with one existing layer stripped off. That is roughly a 1,600 square foot single-story house. Nothing else changes between the rows.

How these figures are built

We hold a national rate for each part of the job, then adjust it by state.

The labor adjustment comes from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data: each state's mean hourly wage for the construction trades, divided by the national mean for the same trades. It is a measured figure, not an estimate.

The material adjustment is smaller and is a model rather than a measurement. There is no free state-level price index for building materials, so we move material prices by a quarter of the labor spread, on the reasoning that regional material pricing tracks regional cost of doing business but far more weakly than wages do. Alaska and Hawaii carry an additional freight premium because everything arrives by barge.

Permits move with labor, since they are set by local government whose costs move the same way.

Cost to replace a roof, by state

What the table does not capture

Local storm cycles matter more than the state average. After a hailstorm, roofing demand in an affected county can double in a week and prices rise 15% to 30% until the backlog clears. A quote taken three weeks after a storm and one taken six months later are different quotes in the same town.

Metro areas run above their state. These are statewide averages. Roofing in Chicago is more expensive than roofing in downstate Illinois, and the gap between a major metro and its rural counties is often wider than the gap between two states.

Code requirements vary. Florida and coastal Texas require wind uplift ratings and specific fastening patterns that add material and labor. Parts of California require Class A fire assemblies. Ice and water shield coverage requirements in northern states add a few hundred dollars. These are real costs the wage data does not see.

Permit practice varies wildly. Some jurisdictions charge a flat $150 re-roof permit. Others charge a percentage of job value and require two inspections. This is the line item with the widest spread relative to its size.

Use the calculator for your own roof

The table is one house size in one material. If yours differs, the roof replacement calculator applies the same state factors to your own footprint, pitch, material and number of layers.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Alaska more expensive than New York?

Freight and crew scarcity. Alaskan roofer wages are high, the season is short, and materials arrive by barge, which is the reason Alaska and Hawaii both carry a freight premium in these figures that no mainland state does.

Does a low-cost state mean lower quality?

No. A roofer in Arkansas and a roofer in Massachusetts install the same shingle to the same manufacturer specification. The difference is what an hour of skilled labor costs in each place, which tracks the local cost of living rather than the standard of work.

How often are these figures updated?

The wage data is republished by the BLS annually and we refresh the state factors when it does. The national rates behind them are reviewed separately; the date each was last reviewed is shown alongside it on the calculator page.

My quote is well outside the range for my state. What now?

Get two more. A single quote far above the band usually means a cut-up or steep roof, a second layer to remove, or a busy contractor pricing to decline the work. A single quote far below it usually means something has been left out, most often tear-off, disposal or the permit.