Helpers--Roofers
Also called: Roofer Apprentice, Roofer Helper, Roofing ApprenticeHelp roofers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 18 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 11.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $37,670 | $37,180 to $38,990 | 60 |
| Arkansas | $35,950 | $27,370 to $39,860 | 110 |
| California | $55,470 | $46,430 to $75,880 | 1,200 |
| Colorado | $55,860 | $55,100 to $55,870 | not published |
| Florida | $38,350 | $28,390 to $47,200 | 1,240 |
| Georgia | $47,610 | $45,680 to $47,610 | not published |
| Iowa | $42,650 | $41,750 to $43,680 | not published |
| Louisiana | $43,680 | $29,740 to $45,840 | 70 |
| Maryland | $34,830 | $34,080 to $45,760 | not published |
| Michigan | $41,750 | $38,480 to $49,630 | not published |
| Mississippi | $31,090 | $29,780 to $33,950 | not published |
| Missouri | $35,800 | $33,610 to $36,060 | not published |
| Nevada | $37,430 | $37,250 to $38,210 | 30 |
| New Jersey | $42,670 | $39,840 to $47,330 | not published |
| New Mexico | $37,640 | $31,730 to $39,130 | 130 |
| North Carolina | $44,120 | $39,570 to $46,960 | 270 |
| Ohio | $46,600 | $44,840 to $48,020 | 490 |
| Oklahoma | $38,950 | $38,880 to $39,820 | 70 |
| Oregon | $44,330 | $43,430 to $46,340 | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $41,320 | $41,320 to $42,600 | 70 |
| South Carolina | $37,860 | $36,430 to $52,580 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $38,380 | $33,530 to $45,740 | 160 |
| Texas | $38,430 | $35,510 to $45,750 | 590 |
| Utah | $72,860 | $53,470 to $76,140 | 120 |
| Virginia | $46,030 | $31,260 to $47,100 | 110 |
| Washington | $44,520 | $44,050 to $48,200 | 110 |
Nationally: $44,160. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Clean work areas and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Set ladders, scaffolds, and hoists in place for taking supplies to roofs. | Not published |
| Not much | Check to ensure that completed roofs are watertight. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide assistance to skilled roofers installing and repairing roofs, flashings, and surfaces. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain tools and equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Locate worn or torn areas in roofs. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| Not much | Remove old roofing materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Sweep and clean roofs to prepare them for the application of new roofing materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Unload materials and tools from work trucks, and unroll roofing as directed. | Not published |
| Not much | Clear drains and downspouts and clean gutters. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform emergency leak repairs and general maintenance for a variety of roof types. | Not published |
| Not much | Hoist tar and roofing materials to roofs, using ropes and pulleys, or carry materials up ladders. | Not published |
| Not much | Cover roofs with layers of roofing felt or asphalt strips before installing tile, slate, or composition materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Apply shingles, gravel, or asphalt over the top layer of tar to protect the roofing material. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach sheets of metal to roof boards or building frameworks when installing metal roofs. | Not published |
| Not much | Chop tar into small pieces, and heat chopped tar in kettles. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach roofing paper and composition shingles, using nails. | Not published |
| Not much | Place tiles, nail them to roof boards, and cover nailheads with roofing cement. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build structures | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris |
Show all 11 activities
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for helpers--roofers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 13 moves in
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 30% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 17% some college
- 1% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades” · 300 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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