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Roofer vs commercial roofer

The differences between roofers and commercial roofers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a commercial roofer has an average salary of $39,120, which is higher than the $38,294 average annual salary of a roofer.

The top three skills for a roofer include roofing, asphalt and ladders. The most important skills for a commercial roofer are roofing, asphalt, and PVC.

Roofer vs commercial roofer overview

RooferCommercial Roofer
Yearly salary$38,294$39,120
Hourly rate$18.41$18.81
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs14,00142,185
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 58%High School Diploma, 49%
Average age3636
Years of experience--

What does a roofer do?

Roofers or roof mechanics are also known as tradesperson specializing in roof construction and maintenance. They typically install, repair, and replace the roofs of houses or buildings using different materials such as metal and bitumen. Roofers are classified into four categories, namely shinglers, single-ply roofers, metal roofers, and hot roofers. The shinglers install tiles, shingles, and shakes on roofs. The single-ply roofers focus on foam roofs while the metal roofers focus on metal roofing. The hot roofers, however, work on tar-base products.

What does a commercial roofer do?

Commercial roofers work on various materials like metal, wood, shingles, tiles, steel, etc. They inspect the roof of properties to know the best replacement or repair procedure to fix them. Being a roofer is a physically demanding job that requires them to have a considerable level of stamina to climb and walk in all kinds of weather. They make sure that buildings are safe and sound for everyone who will be working or living inside. They should also be dedicated to safety and have communication skills to achieve customer satisfaction.

Roofer vs commercial roofer salary

Roofers and commercial roofers have different pay scales, as shown below.

RooferCommercial Roofer
Average salary$38,294$39,120
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $50,000Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityTrenton, NJSpokane, WA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleyWestern Construction
Best paying industryProfessionalConstruction

Differences between roofer and commercial roofer education

There are a few differences between a roofer and a commercial roofer in terms of educational background:

RooferCommercial Roofer
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 58%High School Diploma, 49%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Roofer vs commercial roofer demographics

Here are the differences between roofers' and commercial roofers' demographics:

RooferCommercial Roofer
Average age3636
Gender ratioMale, 95.4% Female, 4.6%Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 29.6% Asian, 0.8% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 29.0% Asian, 0.8% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage1%1%

Differences between roofer and commercial roofer duties and responsibilities

Roofer example responsibilities.

  • Repair damage structure and replace roofing material IE shingles, EPDM, TPO, metal panels or tile.
  • Work on rubber roofing and PVC roof systems
  • Job descriptions include flash heat welding the EPDM roofing material to ensure no leaks occur.
  • Use hand tools such as shovel, rakes, pruning saws, hedges and brush trimmers.
  • Used tools such as blow torches, hammers, roof rippers, shears and tin snips.
  • Used tools such as hammers, hatchets, roof rippers, shears, tin snips and handsaw.
  • Show more

Commercial roofer example responsibilities.

  • Work as an apprentice roofer on a low-slope commercial crew applying several different types of EPDM, PVC and TPO membranes.
  • Experience include EPDM, mop-down and TPO systems.
  • Perform installation and repair of PVC and vinyl type flat roofs of commercial buildings ..
  • Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or relate materials.
  • Train in TPO heat welding.
  • Construct residential roofs using shingles.
  • Show more

Roofer vs commercial roofer skills

Common roofer skills
  • Roofing, 26%
  • Asphalt, 16%
  • Ladders, 11%
  • Shingles, 9%
  • TPO, 5%
  • Safety Equipment, 4%
Common commercial roofer skills
  • Roofing, 26%
  • Asphalt, 12%
  • PVC, 10%
  • TPO, 9%
  • Roof Systems, 7%
  • OSHA, 7%

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