Commercial roofing recruiters serving St. Louis.
St. Louis roofing demand is steady, not surging - driven by institutional re-roof cycles across hospitals, universities, and industrial campuses. This is our home market, and our recruiters know it personally.
Steady demand, a cost-competitive market.
Commercial roofing foremen in the St. Louis metro earn wages at national parity - this is a cost-competitive Midwest labor market by design, not a wage-premium one.
St. Louis's own market data calls commercial roofing demand "steady rather than surging." Institutional re-roof cycles across hospital, university, and industrial campuses drive most of the work, with new-build roofing tied to district redevelopments adding to it. TPO and modified bitumen dominate.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in St. Louis - our home market - and we verify real manufacturer certifications rather than a general roofing resume.
The story behind the demand.
A $1.7B federal campus, a $1.8B Boeing Defense expansion, and multi-billion-dollar healthcare growth.
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The largest federal investment in north St. Louis in a generation, opening ~2026, carried years of secure-facility roofing scope, with surrounding redevelopment keeping demand elevated past opening.
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New advanced-manufacturing and production facilities carry large-footprint industrial roofing scope tied to the F/A-18, MQ-25, and T-7A programs.
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Healthcare is the steadiest commercial construction demand engine in the metro, phased through 2028, adding hospital-grade roofing demand.
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Reclaiming south-riverfront acreage for advanced manufacturing adds new-build industrial roofing scope as parcels come online through 2027.
What commercial roofing roles pay in St. Louis.
In the St. Louis metro, BLS puts the median for roofers at $58,750 a year, 6% above the $55,440 national median. Among the 104 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, St. Louis ranks 32nd on pay. The range runs from $42,190 at the 10th percentile to $98,620 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 $66,080 median. BLS does not publish St. Louis 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 | St. Louis median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial RooferRoofers (47-2181) | $58,750 | $42,190–$98,620 | $55,440 | +6% | 1,110 |
| Roofing HelperHelpers--Roofers (47-3016) | – | – | $44,160 | – | – |
| Sheet Metal WorkerSheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | $66,080 | $40,790–$107,570 | $61,800 | +7% | 1,050 |
| Roofing ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $96,620 | $61,710–$120,700 | $79,920 | +21% | – |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,730 | $44,990–$130,680 | $78,740 | 0% | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, St. Louis 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 St. Louis commercial roofing hiring game actually plays out in 2026. The five things below are what we tell every St. Louis roofing client at intake.
Why St. Louis roofing is steady, not spiking
St. Louis's own market data calls commercial roofing "steady rather than surging" - institutional re-roof cycles across hospital, university, and industrial campuses drive most of the work, alongside new-build tied to district redevelopments.
Where St. Louis commercial roofing talent comes from
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in St. Louis, our home market. Standard TPO and modified-bitumen crews draw on a genuinely available regional pipeline. Foremen with manufacturer certifications are the roles the metro's own data flags as worth moving fast on.
Credentials worth filtering for
What actually separates candidates in St. Louis: verified manufacturer certifications and real institutional re-roof project history - the specific profile the metro's own market data names as scarce.
What candidates expect from a St. Louis roofing offer in 2026
Foreman comp runs at national parity, and commercial estimators run about 2% above national - modest figures that match the metro's own published wage table directly. St. Louis is a cost-competitive market by design, not a wage-premium one.
Realistic timelines, by role
Standard roles: 3-5 weeks intake to signed offer. Our recruiters live here and know the local pipelines personally, so we usually deliver a first slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours.
The roofing positions we fill, most often.
Across all St. Louis commercial roofing clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months. Manufacturer-certified foremen are the role in genuine short supply - everything else draws on the metro's own available regional pipeline.
- Commercial roofing foreman (manufacturer-certified)
- Institutional re-roof crew lead
- Commercial roofing estimator
- Roofing project manager
- Roofing safety manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in St. Louis, see the St. Louis 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 St. Louis, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - with the added advantage that this is where we're headquartered:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers - often in person, since we're local.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing St. Louis commercial roofing candidate network, filtered for verified manufacturer certifications.
- Vetted short list (week one). Three to five candidates. We verify real project-delivery history rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 3-5 weeks. We help with offer math against St. Louis's own wage table.
St. Louis runs 5% fewer commercial roofing workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration.
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 St. Louis's commercial roofing market compares
In 2023 the St. Louis metro had 59 nonresidential roofing contractors (counted by business location), with about 908 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $73,311, in line with the national average of $74,959 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 13.1% 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 9.3%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 2.1 per 100,000 residents, close to the 1.8 national rate.
Among the 95 metros we cover with published BLS figures, St. Louis ranks 30th for headcount, 30th for median pay and 49th for concentration for roofers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 1,110 | $58,750 | 0.95 | 59 |
| Kansas City | 880 | $58,420 | 0.93 | 58 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial roofing employers in St. Louis, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, St. Louis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How St. Louis's commercial roofing market has changed since 2018.
St. Louis lost nonresidential roofing contractors between 2018 and 2023, from 61 business locations to 59 (down 3%), behind the 10% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 908. Average annual pay there went from $59,040 to $73,311 (+24%), slower than the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: business locations | 61 | 59 | −3% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: employment | 925 | 908 | −2% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: average annual pay | $59,040 | $73,311 | +24% |
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 St. Louis.
Why is St. Louis roofing demand described as steady rather than surging?
St. Louis's own market data names institutional re-roof cycles across hospital, university, and industrial campuses as driving most of the work, with new-build roofing tied to district redevelopments like Gateway South adding to it - a durable, non-spiking demand pattern.
What major projects are driving commercial roofing demand in St. Louis?
The $1.7B NGA West federal campus, the ~$1.8B Boeing Defense expansion, multi-billion-dollar healthcare expansion across BJC/WashU Medicine and SSM Health, and the Gateway South riverfront advanced-manufacturing redevelopment all carry substantial commercial roofing scope.
What do roofers earn in St. Louis?
BLS puts the St. Louis median for roofers at $58,750 a year, 6% above the $55,440 national median. That ranks 32nd of 104 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. The range is unusually wide: $42,190 at the bottom tenth against $98,620 at the top tenth, a 2.3x gap. Senior people here are priced far above the median. No other Missouri metro we cover pays more for this work (Kansas City: $58,420).
Is it hard to hire roofers in St. Louis?
It is about average. Roofers are as common in St. Louis as they are nationally (location quotient 0.95), with about 1,110 in the metro. The 59 nonresidential roofing contractors here average about 15 employees per location.
Which commercial roofing roles pay the most in St. Louis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Roofing Foreman pays the most in St. Louis, a $96,620 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Sheet Metal Worker at $66,080, 32% below it. Commercial Roofer is the lowest-paid field role at $58,750. Relative to national pay, Roofing Foreman is the strongest-paying role here (21% above).
How many nonresidential roofing contractors operate in St. Louis?
BLS counted 59 nonresidential roofing contractors in St. Louis in 2023, employing about 908 people between them. Down from 61 in 2018, a 3% decline against 10% growth nationally. That averages 15 people per location. They pay about the national average of $74,959.
Which nearby metros compete with St. Louis for roofers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Indianapolis (230 miles, about 1,000, $51,580 median), Kansas City (238 miles, about 880, $58,420 median) and Memphis (240 miles, about 360, $46,480 median). St. Louis out-pays Indianapolis and Memphis, an advantage when recruiting from there.
We have not closed a commercial roofing search in St. Louis 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 St. Louis than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Senior Freight DispatcherA decade of carrier relationships and margin management, placed on a freight desk in three weeks.
- Local CDL Class A DriverScreened, offered, onboarded and driving the same day - two weeks end to end.
- Sprinkler Layout TechnicianNICET Level II and eight years of fire protection design - a specialist, not a generalist.
Hiring commercial roofing talent in St. Louis?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes, from right here in town.