Why do Phoenix roofers earn less than roofers nationally?

Phoenix roofers earn a $22.96 median against a $26.65 national median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The usual explanation is labor supply rather than lack of work: roofing has a low barrier to entry, Phoenix has a deep pool of people who can do tear-off and loading, and a trade with many available hands does not have to raise its wage to fill a crew. High demand and high wages are different things.

Is roofing a good trade to get into in Phoenix?

It is one of the fastest trades to enter and one of the slower ones to get rich in. Entry is quick because tear-off and material handling can be taught in a morning and judged by looking at the roof. But the Phoenix roofing median sits below concrete, carpentry and the licensed mechanical trades, so the trade rewards people who specialize, tile, metal, or commercial low-slope, rather than staying on residential shingle tear-off.

Do you need experience to get on a roofing crew in Phoenix?

Usually not for the entry position. Roofing crews routinely take people with no roofing background onto tear-off, loading and cleanup, because the work is physical rather than technical and a foreman can see within an hour whether somebody will last. What is genuinely required is comfort at height, reliable transport to a site that changes weekly, and the ability to keep working in heat.

What time do roofing crews start in Phoenix in summer?

Early, commonly before dawn, with the crew off the roof by early afternoon when the surface becomes too hot to work safely. Arizona runs its own occupational safety plan through ADOSH, which has an emphasis program on heat covering water, rest, shade and acclimatization for new hands. Practically, a summer roofing day is shorter, which reduces hours rather than eliminating the season.

How do I get on a roofing crew in Phoenix?

Be specific and be reachable. Name roofing rather than saying you will do anything, name the part of the Valley you can reliably get to, and make sure a foreman short a hand for Monday can find your number on Friday. Most roofing spots in Phoenix are filled by a phone call to somebody already known, before a listing exists, so being findable before the vacancy is worth more than any application after it.

What roofing work pays the most in Phoenix?

Within the trade, tile and metal work generally pay above residential shingle, and commercial low-slope systems pay above both because the systems are more technical and the crews are smaller. Moving up also means moving off the tear-off end: the $7.14 an hour between the Phoenix median and the top decile is mostly the difference between somebody who loads and somebody who installs and leads.

Trade worker guide

Roofer Pay in Phoenix: $22.96 an Hour, and Why It Trails

The FindAZPros TeamPhoenix, AZ contractor directorySeptember 1, 20269 min read

Key takeaways

Roofers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro earn a median of $22.96 an hour, about $47,760 a year at full time, with the top 10% at $30.10 an hour or more (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
Phoenix roofers earn less than roofers nationally, $22.96 against a $26.65 national median, which is evidence that heavy local demand does not by itself raise a trade’s wage when the labor pool is deep.
The gap between the Phoenix roofing median and the top decile is $7.14 an hour, roughly $14,800 a year at full time, and that gap is what experience and reliability are actually worth in this trade.
Roofing pays below concrete, carpentry and the licensed mechanical trades in Phoenix, so a hand who can move into tile, metal or commercial low-slope work raises their ceiling without leaving roofs.
Phoenix roofing work runs year-round but the working day moves with the season: summer crews start before dawn and stop by early afternoon, which shortens billable hours rather than eliminating them.
Most Phoenix roofing crews fill a spot by phone before any listing is written, which is why being findable in your trade and your part of the Valley matters more than an application.

Roofers in the Phoenix metro earn a median of $22.96 an hour, less than roofers earn nationally, in a metro that cannot build fast enough. That single odd fact explains most of what a roofing hand needs to know about this trade, including where the money actually is.

What do roofers make in Phoenix?

A median of $22.96 an hour, about $47,760 a year at full time, with the top 10% at $30.10 an hour or more, per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro, May 2025. The number that matters more than the median is the $7.14 an hour between it and the top decile, roughly $14,800 a year at full time. That spread is what experience, reliability and moving off the tear-off end of the job are worth in this trade, and it is entirely reachable.

Why do Phoenix roofers earn less than roofers elsewhere?

Because wages follow labor supply, not construction volume. Phoenix roofers earn $22.96 against a national roofing median of $26.65 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and that is not because there is less roofing work here. It is because roofing has one of the lowest barriers to entry of any trade, Phoenix has a deep pool of hands who can do tear-off and loading, and a crew that can be filled without raising pay generally is. Heavy demand raises a wage only when the people to meet it are scarce.

The practical read for a worker is not discouraging, it is directional. The entry rung of this trade is crowded and priced accordingly; the rungs above it are not. Everything below is about getting off the crowded rung.

How does roofing compare to other Phoenix trades?

Below most of them at the median, which is worth knowing before you commit years to it. The table compares roofing with the trades a roofing hand can most realistically move into, using the same BLS survey for the same metro and period.


Roofers	$22.96	$30.10	—
Painters, construction & maintenance	$23.49	$31.06	+$0.53
Sheet metal workers	$24.63	$39.23	+$1.67
Drywall & ceiling tile installers	$25.13	$33.59	+$2.17
Cement masons & concrete finishers	$28.49	$37.71	+$5.53
Carpenters	$29.00	$37.40	+$6.04
Construction supervisors / foremen	$38.38	$49.82	+$15.42

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro, May 2025. The full trade table is in the highest-paying trades in Phoenix.

Who is hiring roofers in Phoenix?

Three different kinds of company, and they want different things. New-construction roofers work subdivisions on a schedule set by the builder, which means steady volume and repetitive work. Re-roof and repair companies work occupied houses, which pays better per job and demands more care and more customer contact. Commercial low-slope contractors run smaller, more technical crews on flat systems. A hand who has only done residential tear-off often does not realize the third category exists or that it pays above the first two.

What is roofing in Phoenix like in summer?

Hot enough to reorganize the working day rather than cancel it. Roofing crews here commonly start before dawn and come off the roof by early afternoon, because the roof surface reaches temperatures the air temperature does not describe. Arizona runs its own occupational safety plan through ADOSH, which maintains an emphasis program on heat covering water, rest, shade and acclimatization for new hands, that last one matters, because most heat incidents happen to people in their first days on the job. What this means for earnings is a shorter billable day in July and August, not a lost season. The practical detail is covered in Phoenix heat rules for construction workers.

How do you get on a roofing crew in Phoenix?

By being specific and reachable, in that order. A foreman who loses a hand on Friday fills the spot by calling somebody before he writes a listing, so the people who get work are the ones already in his phone or findable in thirty seconds. Say roofing rather than “anything”; name the part of the Valley you can reach at 5am; and be honest about whether you have worked at height. The wider mechanics of this are in how to get on a construction crew in Phoenix, and you can see open roofing jobs on the board before you call anybody.

Listing yourself on FindAZPros takes about two minutes, costs nothing and needs no login. It puts your trade and your area where a roofing company short a hand can find it.

How do you earn more than the roofing median?

By getting off the entry rung, which is where the crowding is. Three moves do it. Specialize into tile or metal, which take longer to learn and therefore pay more than shingle. Move into commercial low-slope, where crews are smaller and the systems are technical. Or move up rather than across, Phoenix construction supervisors earn a $38.38 median, $15.42 an hour above the roofing median, and roofing foremen are drawn from roofers. The pay ladder across a trade career is laid out in helper to journeyman pay in Phoenix.

Sources

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro, May 2025 , all Phoenix wage figures on this page.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national, May 2025 , the $26.65 national roofing median.
Associated General Contractors of America, 2026 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook.

Frequently asked questions

How much do roofers make in Phoenix?: The median wage for roofers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro is $22.96 an hour, about $47,760 a year at full time, with the top 10% earning $30.10 an hour or more, per BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. New hands typically start below the median and reach it as they move from tear-off and loading into installation.
Why do Phoenix roofers earn less than roofers nationally?: Phoenix roofers earn a $22.96 median against a $26.65 national median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The usual explanation is labor supply rather than lack of work: roofing has a low barrier to entry, Phoenix has a deep pool of people who can do tear-off and loading, and a trade with many available hands does not have to raise its wage to fill a crew. High demand and high wages are different things.
Is roofing a good trade to get into in Phoenix?: It is one of the fastest trades to enter and one of the slower ones to get rich in. Entry is quick because tear-off and material handling can be taught in a morning and judged by looking at the roof. But the Phoenix roofing median sits below concrete, carpentry and the licensed mechanical trades, so the trade rewards people who specialize, tile, metal, or commercial low-slope, rather than staying on residential shingle tear-off.
Do you need experience to get on a roofing crew in Phoenix?: Usually not for the entry position. Roofing crews routinely take people with no roofing background onto tear-off, loading and cleanup, because the work is physical rather than technical and a foreman can see within an hour whether somebody will last. What is genuinely required is comfort at height, reliable transport to a site that changes weekly, and the ability to keep working in heat.
What time do roofing crews start in Phoenix in summer?: Early, commonly before dawn, with the crew off the roof by early afternoon when the surface becomes too hot to work safely. Arizona runs its own occupational safety plan through ADOSH, which has an emphasis program on heat covering water, rest, shade and acclimatization for new hands. Practically, a summer roofing day is shorter, which reduces hours rather than eliminating the season.
How do I get on a roofing crew in Phoenix?: Be specific and be reachable. Name roofing rather than saying you will do anything, name the part of the Valley you can reliably get to, and make sure a foreman short a hand for Monday can find your number on Friday. Most roofing spots in Phoenix are filled by a phone call to somebody already known, before a listing exists, so being findable before the vacancy is worth more than any application after it.
What roofing work pays the most in Phoenix?: Within the trade, tile and metal work generally pay above residential shingle, and commercial low-slope systems pay above both because the systems are more technical and the crews are smaller. Moving up also means moving off the tear-off end: the $7.14 an hour between the Phoenix median and the top decile is mostly the difference between somebody who loads and somebody who installs and leads.