Roofers in the Nashville area earn a median of $48,120 a year, 4% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #174 of 265 metros for roofer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Bowling Green, but less in Chattanooga.
It's one of 6 Tennessee metros with published pay for this trade; see roofers across Tennessee.
Roofer pay in Nashville at a glance
- Roofers in the Nashville, TN metro earn a median $48,120 a year ($23.14 an hour), #174 of 265 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $35,690 and $83,230.
- After local prices, that median buys what $49,949 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,606 a month, 40% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among roofers in Nashville.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for roofers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.0%) and the population is growing faster than most (+8.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 2,770 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $123,621 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $64/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Nashville scorecard for roofers Our calculation
Grades compare Nashville 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 Nashville area went from $36,630 in 2020 to $48,120 in 2025, up 31.4%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +4.8% — a real raise.
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 Nashville Our calculation
Prices in the Nashville area run 4% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $49,949 would in a typical place, ranking #191 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 monthly budget for Nashville 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 Tennessee Official source
The main state licensing office in Tennessee is the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. It can point you to the right license for roofers.
Official Tennessee 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 TN metros for roofers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NashvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $48,120 | $49,949 | 650 |
| MorristownTENNESSEE · TN | $47,950 | $55,521 | 90 |
| MemphisTENNESSEE · TN | $46,480 | $50,424 | 360 |
| ChattanoogaTENNESSEE · TN | $45,530 | $49,779 | 140 |
| KnoxvilleTENNESSEE · TN | $45,030 | $48,645 | 440 |
| KingsportTENNESSEE · TN | $39,720 | $45,947 | 90 |
See every metro in Tennessee.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Nashville area's unemployment rate was 3.0% 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 Nashville area is 29 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 21% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 70% drive alone, 1% take transit and 17% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Nashville area's population grew 8.7% from 2020 to 2025 (2,021,837 → 2,197,416), ranking #48 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +140,914) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Nashville
The Nashville area has about 948,297 homes. 30% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 28% were built in 2010 or later. 65% of households own their home, and the median home value is $449,300.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Nashville are down 40% from 2021 to 2025 (32,191 → 19,203).
In 2025 the Nashville area approved permits for 19,203 new homes (13,267 single-family), or 9.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #38 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 2,770 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $123,621 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Nashville compares among the best cities to start a roofer business.
They compete with 658 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 8,483 workers in total). 54% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Nashville Government data
In an average year, Nashville has 54 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 66 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 81 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 5 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 90°F and winter nights 32°F. That matters for roofers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Nashville International Airport, TN 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 $48,120 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 Nashville with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for roofersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in NashvilleSee where it falls among local roofers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolNashville budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Nashville 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 Nashville against every other metro for roofers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.