The Same Roof Costs $3,500 More in Illinois Than Oklahoma
This page is an analysis, not a cost guide. It uses the same federal wage data that drives every calculator on this site, and it shows the arithmetic.
What the federal data actually says
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes median pay for roofers, by state, every year. We pulled the 2025 figures for all 51 states and weighted them by employment to get a national baseline: $55,610 a year, or $26.74 an hour.
Then we compared every state to that baseline. The spread is not small.
Oklahoma is the cheapest at $43,680 — 21% below the national figure. Illinois is the most expensive at $77,900 — 40% above it. Between the two, the gap is 78%.
The middle half of states sit between $47,405 and $59,785. That means a roofer in the 25th percentile state earns roughly $12,000 less per year than one in the 75th percentile state, for the same trade, the same certification and often the same type of house.
The chart
Ten cheapest states on the bottom, ten most expensive on top. The gold dashed line is the national median.
One result surprises people every time: Texas is in the bottom ten, at $46,030 — 17% below the national median. Texas is not cheap because roofing is unskilled there. It is cheap because the state has a large supply of roofing labor and a lower cost of living, and both push the median down.
Why a 78% pay gap becomes a 31% price gap
Here is the part most cost guides skip. A roofer's paycheck is not the whole bill.
On a typical shingle roof, labor is roughly 45% of what you pay. The other 55% is material, and material costs about the same in every state — shingles do not get cheaper when they cross a state line.
So take a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof at $6.40 per square foot: $12,800 total, split into $7,040 of material and $5,760 of labor.
Apply the Illinois factor of 1.40 and labor becomes $8,069, for a total of $15,109. Apply Oklahoma's 0.79 and labor becomes $4,524, for $11,564.
Same roof, $3,544 apart. The wage gap is 78%; the price gap is 31%. Both numbers are true — the difference is that material dilutes it.
What this is good for, and what it isn't
It is good for one thing: sanity-checking a quote. If you are in Illinois and get a bid of $11,500 for a 2,000 sq ft shingle roof, you are being quoted Oklahoma pricing, which usually means something is missing from the scope — tear-off, decking, or the permit.
It is not a quote. Three things push a real bid away from any state average: the shape and pitch of your roof, how many layers have to come off, and how many contractors are competing in your zip code. A steep roof in a rural county can cost more than a simple roof in downtown Chicago.
It also does not capture the difference between a licensed contractor with insurance and a crew working for cash. The wage data measures employees. Cash crews sit below it.
How to use the number in a negotiation
Ask one question: "What is your labor line?" Not the total — the labor line. A contractor who can answer that quickly knows their own numbers. One who cannot is estimating from a template.
Then compare it against this: for a 2,000 sq ft shingle roof, labor at the national median is about $5,760. Illinois labor is about $8,069. Oklahoma is about $4,524.
If the labor line comes in under $4,000 anywhere in the country, ask what is not included. It is almost always insurance, or the permit, or the dumpster.
Frequently asked
Why are roofers paid so differently between states?
Three reasons: cost of living, union density, and how many roofers are competing for work. Illinois and New Jersey combine high living costs with strong trade wages. Oklahoma, Mississippi and Texas have larger labor supply and lower living costs.
Does a higher-paid roofer do better work?
Not automatically. The federal data measures pay, not quality. What a higher wage usually buys is a crew that stays — fewer subcontractors, more repeat work, and someone who will still be in business when your warranty is called.
How much of a roof replacement is labor?
About 45% on a typical asphalt shingle roof, and closer to 55% on tile or slate, which take longer to install. Material makes up the rest, and material costs roughly the same nationwide.