The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects employment in the roofing industry to grow by only four percent through the year 2018, as this industry is sensitive to changes in the economy. In 2008, 21 percent of roofers were contractors, many of whom specialized in residential roofing services. The salary of a roofing company owner varies by industry and geographic location.

Average Wages

The BLS reports that in 2010, the top-earning roofers, which can include roofing company owners, made an annual salary of $46,190 to $60,610. Earnings can suffer, however, in periods of poor weather or during hard economic times. Chris King in an article for “Roofing Contractor” states that the periodical's national survey found that in 2006, the median average salary for a roofing company owner was $84,000 per year, which was a $24,000 increase from a study conducted in 2000. "Roofing Contractor" conducts salary reports every six years. King reports that 23 percent of the roofing company owners stated they earned a maximum of $50,000 per year, 40 percent of owners earned $50,001 to $100,000 annually, and 24 percent of roofing company owners earned $100,001 to $200,000 annually. King also reports that 13 percent of roofing owners earned over $200,000 per year, while lowest-earning owners made less than $35,000.

Wages by Industry

The BLS states that roofers earned the most in 2010 when they received contracts from the Federal Executive Branch, but business with local governments paid the least. According to King, 40 percent of roofing owners stated that their main source of income came from both residential and “commercial/institutional contracts.” In the same year, 23 percent of owners gained the majority of work from residential contracts, while 34 percent gained their principal business from institutional/commercial contracts.

Highest Paying State and Metropolitan Areas

A roofing company owner’s salary varies by geographic location. The BLS reports that in 2010, Hawaii was the highest-paying state for roofers, followed by Connecticut, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Illinois. However, the top-paying metropolitan area for the same year was in Rockford, Illinois. The Honolulu, Hawaii, metro area ranked third. The top-paying non-metropolitan area for a roofer in 2010 was in the northwest region of Illinois.

Considerations

A 2009 “Roofing Contractor” article states that overhead costs heavily influence a roofing company owner’s salary. These costs are directly related to the number of employees an owner has and/or the amount of time the owner or employees spend working on roofing jobs. However, reducing the amount of staff or increasing the price of production will not necessarily help a roofing company owner earn a higher salary, as the owner’s salary is sometimes the largest overhead expense. In a 2006 article in the same periodical, Monroe Porter states that inefficient and incorrect bookkeeping and/or a failure to raise prices by even 10 percent could lead a roofing company owner to have an unclear or erroneous idea about her company’s true earnings or earning potential.