Roof replacement · IL · East North Central
Roof replacement cost in Illinois
Illinois roofers earn more per hour than roofers in any other state, and Illinois licenses roofing contractors under its own act.
Wages: BLS, May 2025 (released ) · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · How prices are built
- Typical roof job, all house sizes
- $12,060
- Middle half of jobs
- $7,420 to $18,530
- Roofer mean wage
- $37.33/h
- Versus U.S. roofers
- +34%
Roof replacement in Illinois, hired out
$13,890
Most jobs between $9,640 and $19,290 (middle half of reported prices)
| House size group | 1,500 to 1,999 sq ft |
| National median (homeowners’ reports) | $13,192 |
| Regional level (Census division) | +0.0% |
| State labor adjustment | +5.3% |
| Typical price in Illinois | $13,890 |
Roofers in Illinois: $37.33 an hour on average, 34% above the national mean. Range from homeowners who hired a professional (2021 to 2023, American Housing Survey 2023), in August 2026 dollars; permits, tear-off of unusual materials, structural repairs and local surcharges vary job to job. How this is calculated.
The 2026 estimate for a professional roof replacement in Illinois is about $12,060, with half of jobs between $7,420 and $18,530, a few hundred dollars over the national median of $11,450. Owners in the East North Central division reported paying at the national level in the 2023 American Housing Survey, so the whole premium comes from pay. BLS measured a mean of $37.33 an hour for Illinois roofers in May 2025, the highest of any state, 34% above the national $27.95 and 21% above the division average. That adds roughly $610 to a typical job; it would be more if labor were a larger share of a roofer's bill. A home of 1,000 to 1,499 sq ft is estimated near $10,370 and one of 3,000 to 3,999 sq ft near $16,880. Illinois is also a storm state: FEMA's National Risk Index puts expected annual tornado losses to its buildings near $369 million, and strong wind is rated Very High.
The best-paid roofers in the country work in Illinois
At $37.33 an hour, the Illinois mean wage for roofers is the highest of any state, and it towers over the neighbors: Indiana pays $28.75, Wisconsin $27.91 and Missouri $27.08. BLS counted 5,300 roofers in the state. Yet the price of a typical Illinois roof ends up only modestly above Indiana's, because payroll and benefits are a minority of what roofing contractors charge. Materials, dumpsters, insurance and margin cost roughly the same on both sides of the state line. The calculator above makes the split visible: it starts from the division median, which reflects what owners across five Midwestern states paid, and moves only the labor portion to the Illinois wage. If a Chicago-area bid seems out of line with that estimate, the difference is more likely to sit in overhead, access or permit costs than in the hourly rate alone.
Roof replacement: change the labor rate
Same job at that labor rate
$12,060
| Labor part of your quote | $3,456 |
| Materials, equipment, overhead | $8,604 |
| Labor share used | 28.7% |
Labor share from the 2022 Economic Census for this contractor type, moved by the state wage index.
Tornado and wind losses in Illinois
The FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025) estimates expected annual tornado losses to Illinois buildings at about $369 million, second only to one other state, rated Relatively High. Strong wind adds $63 million and is rated Very High, hail $80 million, and winter weather is rated Relatively High. In practice, many Illinois reroofs follow a wind or hail claim, and the insurer's scope, not the survey range, then decides the payout.
A roofing-specific license
Unlike states that fold roofing into a general registration, Illinois licenses roofing contractors under the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act. The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issues the license, and each contractor needs a designated qualifying party who has passed the roofing contractor examination. Look the license up on the IDFPR site before signing, and confirm that the company name on the bid matches the licensee rather than a subcontractor. For a house of 3,000 to 3,999 sq ft, the Illinois estimate is $16,880, and half of comparable jobs land between $12,060 and $23,160.
Illinois roof prices by house size
| House size | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1,000 sq ft | $3,910 | $8,440 | $14,470 |
| 1,000 to 1,499 sq ft | $6,510 | $10,370 | $14,470 |
| 1,500 to 1,999 sq ft | $9,640 | $13,890 | $19,290 |
| 2,000 to 2,499 sq ft | $9,640 | $13,260 | $19,290 |
| 2,500 to 2,999 sq ft | $9,640 | $14,470 | $23,160 |
| 3,000 to 3,999 sq ft | $12,060 | $16,880 | $23,160 |
| 4,000 sq ft or more | $10,420 | $18,080 | $28,950 |
Other jobs in Illinois
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water heater replacement | $930 | $1,460 | $2,130 |
| Central air conditioning | $3,900 | $6,500 | $9,290 |
| Furnace or other built-in heating | $3,180 | $5,300 | $7,940 |
| Fence | $2,490 | $4,980 | $8,690 |
| Deck, porch or patio | $5,480 | $11,980 | $24,770 |
| Driveway or walkway | $2,290 | $4,630 | $9,110 |
Trade wages in Illinois
| Occupation | IL mean hourly wage | U.S. mean | IL jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers | $37.33 | $27.95 | 5,300 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters | $44.91 | $34.70 | 16,750 |
| Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers | $37.29 | $31.14 | 9,740 |
| Electricians | $44.34 | $34.37 | 23,120 |
| Carpenters | $38.62 | $31.55 | 19,570 |
| Painters, construction and maintenance | $33.48 | $26.64 | 6,820 |