Commercial roofing recruiters serving Birmingham.
Birmingham roofing wages price below national average - a genuine cost advantage - with UAB's active construction pipeline adding real large-footprint institutional roofing opportunity on top.
A cost advantage, with one institutional exception.
Commercial roofing foremen in the Birmingham metro price about 3% below the national average, and commercial estimators run about 4% below - a genuine cost advantage for contractors staffing routine work here.
Birmingham's own market data notes that UAB's active construction pipeline adds "some large-footprint institutional roofing opportunity" on top of that below-national baseline.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in Birmingham, and we verify real institutional or hospital-grade roofing project history for UAB-adjacent work specifically.
The story behind the demand.
One research institution driving the exception to an otherwise cost-advantaged market.
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An 8-story, 228,735 sq ft research facility housing wet and dry labs - large-footprint institutional roofing scope at a scale most Birmingham contractors rarely see.
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Adds 59 new exam rooms and 66,030 sq ft of new construction, requiring hospital-grade, ICRA-compliant roofing installation.
What commercial roofing roles pay in Birmingham.
In the Birmingham metro, BLS puts the median for roofers at $46,600 a year, 16% below the $55,440 national median. Among the 104 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Birmingham ranks 86th on pay. Most of the market sits between $37,040 and $62,940. Of the other field roles, sheet metal worker pays the most locally, at a $48,090 median. BLS does not publish Birmingham pay for roofing helper, which it withholds where a metro's sample is too small to be reliable. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Roofing Salary Guide.
| Role | Birmingham median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial RooferRoofers (47-2181) | $46,600 | $37,040–$62,940 | $55,440 | −16% | 260 |
| Roofing HelperHelpers--Roofers (47-3016) | – | – | $44,160 | – | – |
| Sheet Metal WorkerSheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | $48,090 | $35,510–$71,270 | $61,800 | −22% | 530 |
| Roofing ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $71,280 | $48,070–$123,700 | $79,920 | −11% | – |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,330 | $48,290–$129,330 | $78,740 | +1% | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Birmingham metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how the Birmingham commercial roofing hiring game actually plays out in 2026. The five things below are what we tell every Birmingham roofing client at intake.
Why Birmingham prices below national - and where the exception is
Birmingham's own market data puts standard commercial roofing slightly below national average, a genuine cost advantage for contractors staffing routine work. UAB's active construction pipeline adds "some large-footprint institutional roofing opportunity" on top of that baseline.
Where Birmingham commercial roofing talent comes from
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in Birmingham. Standard commercial roofing crews draw on a genuinely available regional pipeline at a below-national cost basis.
Credentials worth filtering for
What actually separates candidates in Birmingham for UAB-adjacent work: verified large-footprint institutional or hospital-grade roofing project history - the specific opportunity the metro's own market data flags.
What candidates expect from a Birmingham roofing offer in 2026
Foreman comp runs about 3% below national, and commercial estimators run about 4% below - both match the metro's own published wage table directly, reflecting the market's overall cost advantage.
Realistic timelines, by role
Standard roles: 3-5 weeks intake to signed offer, comparable to or slightly faster than national average given this market's relatively available labor pool. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours.
The roofing positions we fill, most often.
Across all Birmingham commercial roofing clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months. Foremen with real institutional or hospital-grade roofing experience for UAB-adjacent work are the harder fill - everything else draws on the metro's own available, cost-advantaged regional pipeline.
- Large-footprint institutional roofing foreman (UAB-scale)
- Commercial roofing foreman (general)
- Commercial roofing estimator
- Roofing project manager
- Roofing safety manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Birmingham, see the Birmingham metro overview. To learn more about commercial roofing generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Commercial Roofing industry page.
How we recruit commercial roofing in Birmingham, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Birmingham's commercial roofing segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Birmingham roofing, we also confirm whether the work is UAB-adjacent institutional scale, since that shifts the sourcing pool.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Birmingham commercial roofing candidate network, filtered for verified institutional/hospital-grade experience where required.
- Vetted short list (week one). Three to five candidates. We verify real project-delivery history at the right scale rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 3-5 weeks. We help with offer math against Birmingham's own wage table.
Birmingham runs 42% fewer commercial roofing workers per job than the country as a whole — well below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Roofers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Birmingham's commercial roofing market compares
In 2023 the Birmingham metro had 38 nonresidential roofing contractors (counted by business location), with about 411 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $68,175, 9.1% below the national average of $74,959 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 13.5% over the year, faster than the 6.7% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. The number of these employers rose 8.6%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 3.4 per 100,000 residents against 1.8 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often. These firms account for 1.5% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 95 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Birmingham ranks 78th for headcount, 77th for median pay and 78th for concentration for roofers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 260 | $46,600 | 0.58 | 38 |
| Huntsville | – | – | – | 13 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial roofing employers in Birmingham, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Birmingham metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Birmingham's commercial roofing market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential roofing contractors in Birmingham rose from 23 in 2018 to 38 in 2023, up 65%, ahead of the 10% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 23%, to about 411 people. Average annual pay there went from $44,451 to $68,175 (+53%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: business locations | 23 | 38 | +65% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: employment | 334 | 411 | +23% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: average annual pay | $44,451 | $68,175 | +53% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — commercial roofing hiring in Birmingham.
Is there a specialty premium for commercial roofing in Birmingham?
Birmingham's own market data flags UAB's active construction pipeline as adding "some large-footprint institutional roofing opportunity" on top of an otherwise below-national-average baseline, but does not publish a separate percentage for that opportunity.
What major projects are driving commercial roofing demand in Birmingham?
The $190M UAB Biomedical Research and Psychology Building (228,735 sq ft) and the $73M UAB Hospital North Pavilion/emergency department overhaul both carry substantial institutional and hospital-grade roofing scope.
What do roofers earn in Birmingham?
BLS puts the Birmingham median for roofers at $46,600 a year, 16% below the $55,440 national median. That ranks 86th of 104 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $37,040 and $62,940, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire roofers in Birmingham?
Yes. Birmingham has 42% fewer roofers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 260 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 38 nonresidential roofing contractors here average about 11 employees per location. With 65% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial roofing roles pay the most in Birmingham?
Of the roles we recruit for, Estimator pays the most in Birmingham, a $79,330 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Sheet Metal Worker at $48,090, 39% below it. Commercial Roofer is the lowest-paid field role at $46,600. Sheet Metal Worker trails national pay the most (22% below).
How many nonresidential roofing contractors operate in Birmingham?
BLS counted 38 nonresidential roofing contractors in Birmingham in 2023, employing about 411 people between them. Up from 23 in 2018, a 65% increase against 10% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay an average of $68,175, 9% below the $74,959 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Birmingham for roofers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Chattanooga (135 miles, about 140, $45,530 median), Atlanta (140 miles, about 1,440, $49,100 median) and Nashville (183 miles, about 650, $48,120 median). Atlanta has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Atlanta pays 5% more, which is where Birmingham employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial roofing talent in Birmingham?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.