Commercial roofing recruiters serving Seattle.
Seattle's wet-climate envelope specialists run about 40% above national. The Puget Sound rain season compresses reliable roofing work into a short summer window - timing the hire matters as much as the wage.
Roofing as part of the wet-climate envelope discipline.
Seattle's own market data treats commercial roofing as inseparable from the broader wet-climate envelope and waterproofing discipline - low-slope membrane detailing and moisture management are described as essential, not optional, skills.
The metro's published building envelope / waterproofing specialist wage - $36–$48/hr, about 40% above national - is the closest honest analog to a roofing-foreman figure on this hub. The Puget Sound rain season compresses reliable exterior work into a short dry window, roughly July through September.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in Seattle, and we verify real wet-climate envelope and moisture-management project history rather than general commercial roofing experience.
The story behind the scarcity.
Tech campus build-outs, hyperscale data centers, hospital expansion, and aerospace facility modernization.
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South Lake Union and Eastside tech campuses carry substantial low-slope commercial roofing scope, built to wet-climate moisture-management standards.
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Puget Sound and Central Washington hyperscale campuses add new low-slope commercial roofing demand.
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Hospital-grade roofing demand through 2030 across UW Medicine, Swedish, and Providence.
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Large-footprint industrial roofing scope tied to aerospace manufacturing plant modernization.
What commercial roofing roles pay in Seattle.
In the Seattle metro, BLS puts the median for roofers at $64,090 a year, 16% above the $55,440 national median. Among the 104 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Seattle ranks 10th on pay. The range runs from $48,450 at the 10th percentile to $104,560 at the 90th, so experience is priced well above the middle of the market. Of the other field roles, sheet metal worker pays the most locally, at a $109,830 median. BLS does not publish Seattle 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 | Seattle median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial RooferRoofers (47-2181) | $64,090 | $48,450–$104,560 | $55,440 | +16% | 2,970 |
| Roofing HelperHelpers--Roofers (47-3016) | – | – | $44,160 | – | – |
| Sheet Metal WorkerSheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | $109,830 | $61,330–$149,260 | $61,800 | +78% | 2,190 |
| Roofing ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $121,130 | $77,980–$170,810 | $79,920 | +52% | – |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $94,490 | $62,020–$152,220 | $78,740 | +20% | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Seattle 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 Seattle commercial roofing hiring game actually plays out in 2026. The five things below are what we tell every Seattle roofing client at intake.
Why wet-climate envelope expertise is the real credential
Seattle's own market data is direct: the Puget Sound rain season compresses reliable exterior roofing work into a short dry window, roughly July through September, and treats low-slope membrane detailing and moisture management as essential, not optional.
Where Seattle commercial roofing talent comes from
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in Seattle. Foremen with genuine wet-climate envelope and waterproofing experience - comfortable working within a compressed dry-season schedule - are the harder fill in this market.
Credentials worth filtering for
What actually separates candidates in Seattle: verified low-slope membrane and moisture-management experience specific to a wet maritime climate - the specific discipline the metro's own market data flags.
What candidates expect from a Seattle roofing offer in 2026
Building envelope/waterproofing specialists - the closest published analog to a roofing-foreman figure - command about 40% above national. Commercial estimators run about 35% above national. Both figures match the metro's own published wage table directly.
Realistic timelines, by role
Standard roles: 4-6 weeks intake to signed offer. Given the compressed dry-season scheduling, timing the hire ahead of the July-September window matters. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours regardless.
The roofing positions we fill, most often.
Across all Seattle commercial roofing clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months. Foremen and specialists with genuine wet-climate envelope experience are the role in genuine short supply - everything else draws on the metro's own available regional pipeline.
- Commercial roofing foreman (wet-climate envelope specialty)
- Building envelope / waterproofing specialist
- Commercial roofing estimator
- Roofing crew lead
- Roofing safety manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Seattle, see the Seattle 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 Seattle, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Seattle's commercial roofing segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Seattle roofing, we also confirm the target install window, since the wet climate compresses reliable exterior work into a short season.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Seattle commercial roofing candidate network, filtered for verified wet-climate envelope and moisture-management experience.
- Vetted short list (week one). Three to five candidates. We verify real project-delivery history and wet-climate detailing experience rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Seattle's own wage table.
Seattle runs 64% more commercial roofing workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Seattle's commercial roofing market compares
In 2023 the Seattle metro had 51 nonresidential roofing contractors (counted by business location), with about 1,458 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $82,694, 10.3% above the national average of $74,959 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 10.6% over the year, faster than the 6.7% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. That works out to 1.3 per 100,000 residents against 1.8 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro. These firms account for 1.2% of all construction employment in the metro.
Among the 95 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Seattle ranks 6th for headcount, 10th for median pay and 25th for concentration for roofers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 2,970 | $64,090 | 1.64 | 51 |
| Spokane | 420 | $58,720 | 1.90 | 14 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial roofing employers in Seattle, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Seattle metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Seattle's commercial roofing market has changed since 2018.
Seattle lost nonresidential roofing contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 54 business locations to 51 (down 6%), behind the 10% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 13%, to about 1,458 people, so fewer firms are employing more people each. Average annual pay there went from $62,819 to $82,694 (+32%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: business locations | 54 | 51 | −6% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: employment | 1,289 | 1,458 | +13% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: average annual pay | $62,819 | $82,694 | +32% |
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 Seattle.
Does Seattle publish a distinct wage for commercial roofing foremen?
Not under that exact title - Seattle's hub publishes a closely related "building envelope / waterproofing specialist" wage of $36–$48/hr (about 40% above national), and the metro's own mini text frames commercial roofing as part of the same wet-climate envelope discipline. We treat this as the closest honest analog rather than fabricating a separate roofing-specific figure.
Why does the wet climate matter so much for Seattle roofing hires?
Seattle's own market data names the Puget Sound rain season as compressing reliable exterior roofing work into a short dry window, roughly July through September. Low-slope membrane detailing and moisture management are essential skills that don't transfer cleanly from drier climates.
What major projects are driving commercial roofing demand in Seattle?
The $5B+ Amazon and Microsoft campus build-out, $4B+ in regional data center growth, $2.5B+ in UW Medicine and hospital expansion, and $1.5B+ in Boeing aerospace facility modernization all carry substantial commercial roofing scope.
What do roofers earn in Seattle?
BLS puts the Seattle median for roofers at $64,090 a year, 16% above the $55,440 national median. That ranks 10th of 104 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Experience carries a clear premium, $48,450 at the 10th percentile against $104,560 at the 90th - a 2.2x gap - so an offer at the median mostly reaches newer workers. No other Washington metro we cover pays more for this work (Spokane: $58,720).
Is it hard to hire roofers in Seattle?
Not by national standards. Roofers make up 64% more of the Seattle workforce than they do nationally, about 2,970 people. The 51 nonresidential roofing contractors here average about 29 employees per location.
Which commercial roofing roles pay the most in Seattle?
Of the roles we recruit for, Roofing Foreman pays the most in Seattle, a $121,130 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Sheet Metal Worker at $109,830, 9% below it. Commercial Roofer is the lowest-paid field role at $64,090. Relative to national pay, Sheet Metal Worker is the strongest-paying role here (78% above).
How many nonresidential roofing contractors operate in Seattle?
BLS counted 51 nonresidential roofing contractors in Seattle in 2023, employing about 1,458 people between them. Down from 54 in 2018, a 6% decline against 10% growth nationally. That averages 29 people per location. They pay an average of $82,694, 10% above the $74,959 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Seattle for roofers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Portland (145 miles, about 2,280, $61,210 median) and Spokane (228 miles, about 420, $58,720 median). Seattle out-pays Spokane, an advantage when recruiting from there.
We have not closed a commercial roofing search in Seattle yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Seattle than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Service Operations CoordinatorA lead dispatcher used to 20-25 technicians and 75 calls a day, placed in eight days.
- Commercial SuperintendentTwenty-five years of ground-up commercial leadership, placed in two weeks.
- Construction SuperintendentTenant-improvement and renovation leadership, including prevailing-wage public work.
Hiring commercial roofing talent in Seattle?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.