Roofers in the Virginia Beach area earn a median of $46,480 a year, 7% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #216 of 265 metros for roofers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Richmond and Salisbury, but less in Rocky Mount.
It's one of 6 Virginia metros with published pay for this trade; see roofer pay in Virginia.
Roofer pay in Virginia Beach at a glance
- Roofers in the Virginia Beach, VA metro earn a median $46,480 a year ($22.34 an hour), #216 of 265 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $39,020 and $58,510.
- After local prices, that median buys what $47,457 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,484 a month, 38% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among roofers in Virginia Beach.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $22 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for roofers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.5%) and the population is growing slowly (+0.9% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 964 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $79,124 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $63/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Virginia Beach scorecard for roofers Our calculation
Grades compare Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach area went from $46,460 in 2020 to $46,480 in 2025, up 0.0%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -20.2% — a real pay cut.
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 Virginia Beach Our calculation
Prices in Virginia Beach run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $47,457 would in a typical place, ranking #230 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Official source
The main state licensing office in Virginia is the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. It can point you to the right license for roofers.
Official Virginia 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 VA metros for roofers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RichmondVIRGINIA · VA | $48,050 | $49,102 | 330 |
| Virginia BeachVIRGINIA · VA | $46,480 | $47,457 | 350 |
| RoanokeVIRGINIA · VA | $46,280 | $49,435 | 90 |
| LynchburgVIRGINIA · VA | $46,160 | $51,654 | 70 |
| HarrisonburgVIRGINIA · VA | $46,020 | $48,497 | 90 |
| WinchesterVIRGINIA · VA | $45,690 | $47,372 | 40 |
See every metro in Virginia.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Virginia Beach area's unemployment rate was 3.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just roofers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Virginia Beach area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 75% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Virginia Beach area's population grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025 (1,781,673 → 1,797,213), ranking #257 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +1,022) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Virginia Beach
The Virginia Beach area has about 774,453 homes. 44% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. 63% of households own their home, and the median home value is $363,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Virginia Beach are down 46% from 2021 to 2025 (7,377 → 3,953).
In 2025 the Virginia Beach area approved permits for 3,953 new homes (3,223 single-family), or 2.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #280 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 964 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $79,124 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Virginia Beach compares among the best cities to start a roofer business.
They compete with 491 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 4,487 workers in total). 57% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
What new hires earn here
People newly hired into construction jobs in the Virginia Beach area earn about $60,900 a year at the start, compared with $78,500 for all construction workers who've stayed with their employer. By age, construction workers 19 to 24 average about $48,900 a year here, and those 45 to 54 about $89,500. That's for every construction job combined, not just roofers, but it shows how much experience is worth here.
Census Quarterly Workforce Indicators, construction (NAICS 23), private employers, 2024 Q4–2025 Q3. Monthly earnings × 12.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Virginia Beach area has had 5 federal major disasters, mostly hurricanes. The latest was declared in 2019 (Hurricane Dorian). After big storms, repair and rebuild work can pull in traveling crews; see what a travel job pays.
FEMA disaster declarations, counties in this metro, fiscal years 2016–2026. COVID-19 declarations are left out.
Traveling here for work
Out-of-town roofers on travel jobs here are often paid per diem. The federal rate is $150 a night for lodging, up to $212 a night in peak season plus $74 a day for meals, the Virginia Beach rate: about $1,568 a week on top of wages. Compare a travel job here with a local one.
GSA per diem rates, FY2027 (October 2026–September 2027). Employers set their own per diem; many use the GSA rate as a guide.
Working outdoors in Virginia Beach Government data
In an average year, Virginia Beach has 36 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 41 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 74 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 6 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 87°F and winter nights 36°F. That matters for roofers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Norfolk International Airport, VA 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 $46,480 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 Virginia Beach 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 Virginia BeachSee where it falls among local roofers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolVirginia Beach budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Virginia Beach 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 Virginia Beach against every other metro for roofers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.