Roofers in the Fort Wayne area earn a median of $48,830 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #163 of 265 metros for roofers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Elkhart and South Bend, but less in Lima.
It's one of 9 Indiana metros with published pay for this trade; see roofer pay in Indiana.
Roofer pay in Fort Wayne at a glance
- Roofers in the Fort Wayne, IN metro earn a median $48,830 a year ($23.48 an hour), #163 of 265 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $37,630 and $79,700.
- After local prices, that median buys what $52,748 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,015 a month, 25% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among roofers in Fort Wayne.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for roofers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.4%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.9% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 430 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $97,172 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $65/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Fort Wayne scorecard for roofers Our calculation
Grades compare Fort Wayne with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($50,140).
Pay over time
The median pay for roofers in the Fort Wayne area went from $39,790 in 2020 to $48,830 in 2025, up 22.7%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -2.1% — a real pay cut. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Fort Wayne Our calculation
Prices in the Fort Wayne area run 7% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $52,748 would in a typical place, ranking #152 of 263 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Fort Wayne from this pay, local rent and prices.
What roofers do
Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. May spray roofs, sidings, and walls with material to bind, seal, insulate, or soundproof sections of structures.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
- Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by attaching waterproofing membranes to surfaces.
- Cover exposed nailheads with roofing cement or caulking to prevent water leakage or rust.
- Apply reflective roof coatings, such as special paints or single-ply roofing sheets, to existing roofs to reduce solar heat absorption.
- Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, roofer jobs are projected to grow 5.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 12,000 openings a year. About 20% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often roofers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Indiana Official source
The main state licensing office in Indiana is the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency. The state licenses plumbers; most other trades are licensed locally. It can point you to the right license for roofers.
Official Indiana licensing site ↗
Requirements for roofers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, roofers have 162 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is falls, slips and trips.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying IN metros for roofers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| South BendINDIANA · IN | $62,400 | $67,199 | 200 |
| EvansvilleINDIANA · IN | $59,990 | $65,543 | 70 |
| ColumbusINDIANA · IN | $59,400 | $63,869 | 50 |
| ElkhartINDIANA · IN | $58,300 | $64,545 | 120 |
| IndianapolisINDIANA · IN | $51,580 | $53,900 | 1,000 |
| Terre HauteINDIANA · IN | $49,700 | $56,608 | 80 |
| BloomingtonINDIANA · IN | $49,530 | $52,091 | 90 |
| Fort WayneINDIANA · IN | $48,830 | $52,748 | 270 |
| LafayetteINDIANA · IN | $44,140 | $47,244 | 40 |
See every metro in Indiana.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Fort Wayne area's unemployment rate was 3.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just roofers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Fort Wayne area is 23 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 76% drive alone, 0% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Fort Wayne area's population grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025 (448,605 → 466,258), ranking #127 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +10,810) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Fort Wayne
The Fort Wayne area has about 197,640 homes. 54% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 72% of households own their home, and the median home value is $245,800.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Fort Wayne are down 17% from 2021 to 2025 (1,978 → 1,641).
In 2025 the Fort Wayne area approved permits for 1,641 new homes (1,449 single-family), or 3.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #189 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 430 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $97,172 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Fort Wayne compares among the best cities to start a roofer business.
They compete with 204 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 1,466 workers in total). 59% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Fort Wayne Government data
In an average year, Fort Wayne has 16 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 124 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 77 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 34 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 82°F and winter nights 21°F. That matters for roofers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Ft Wayne International Airport, IN station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $48,830 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get roofer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Fort Wayne with another city →
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ToolBest cities for roofersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in Fort WayneSee where it falls among local roofers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolFort Wayne budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Fort Wayne metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Fort Wayne against every other metro for roofers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.