Roof replacement cost in Washington DC: what owners paid (2023 survey)
Washington DC owners paid a median $8,000 for roofing work: $2,000 below the U.S. median, tied for the lowest of 15 big metros (Census Bureau, 2023). When owners hired it out, the middle half paid $5,000 to $15,000.
What Washington DC owners paid
$8,000
This is historical spending: work done in about 2021 to 2023 on owner-occupied homes, reported in the 2023 survey.
Margin of error ±$2,945: at 90% confidence the Washington DC median lies between $5,055 and $10,945.
Hired out: $10,000 typical, from 99 hired-out jobs in the survey sample.
How Washington DC compares
- U.S. median, same work
- $10,000
- Rank, highest first
- Tied at 13 of 15
Washington DC: $8,000. The lowest of the big metros.
A new roof in Washington DC at today’s prices
The figures above are what owners paid for work done in 2021 to 2023. Here is our estimate of a re-roof today, for the roof you enter in Washington DC: shingles and underlayment at one store’s posted price, the dumpster for the old roof and the permit, the crew’s time at what a roofer costs an employer, and the share of the price roofing contractors spend on overhead and keep as profit. Each figure says where it comes from, and the crew time and the overhead share are yours to change.
Filled in as an example: a 2,000 sq ft roof with one layer to tear off. Type over any of it with your own roof and your roofer’s figures.
Our estimate for this roof: $11,120, itemized below.
| Part | Cost | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Shingles: 66 bundles | $3,431 | GAF Timberline HDZ, Charcoal at $51.99 a bundle, Ward Lumber in Jay, NY, ; 10% extra for cuts |
| Underlayment: 3 rolls | $270 | GAF FeltBuster synthetic roofing felt at $90 a roll, A+ Roofing Supply in Sugar Hill, GA, |
| Tear-off: about 2 tons | $660 | A 20-yard dumpster with 2.5 tons and 21 days included, Roll-Off Dumpster Direct’s posted price for Washington, DC, . Posted for general waste: ask about shingles before you book. Sized for 200 lb a square a layer, the weight of new shingles; an old roof with its felt and nails often weighs more. |
| Permit | Not added | Washington, DC sets its own permit fees: ask its Department of Buildings about a re-roof. |
| Labor: 60 worker-hours | $2,422 | 3 a square for 20 squares, at about $40 an hour, the employer’s cost of a roofer earning the median wage in the Washington DC area |
| Overhead and profit | $4,337 | 39% of the price, roofing contractors’ average in 2022, homes and commercial work together: what was left of their receipts after materials, work they subcontracted and their crews’ pay and benefits, for office staff, rent, insurance, vehicles, fuel, taxes and profit (Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census) |
| Our estimate from these inputs | $11,120 | Not a roofer’s price: what these parts, this crew time and this overhead share add up to. A fair quote can be higher, since it also pays for what is not counted here. Before sales tax and delivery. Not counted: starter strip, ridge cap, drip edge, nails, flashing and vents (the roofing calculator counts them from your roof’s edges), an ice barrier along the eaves where your code asks for one, new sheathing. |
What an hour costs: no public source prices a roofing crew by the job, so the estimate counts its time. Roofers in the Washington DC area earn a median $28.05 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Benefits make up 30.5% of what construction employers spend an hour on pay and benefits (all trades, BLS, June 2026), so an hour of a roofer at that wage costs an employer about $40.
Type a quote’s total above to set it against this estimate.
- Miami$16,000$12,000–$30,000
- Seattle$15,100$10,000–$25,000
- San Francisco$15,000$10,000–$26,000
- Los Angeles$14,300$7,500–$17,000
- Chicago$13,000$10,000–$20,000
- Dallas$12,000$7,000–$22,000
- New York City$12,000$8,000–$15,000
- Boston$11,000$6,300–$15,000
- Houston$10,800$7,100–$15,000
- Atlanta$10,000$6,000–$16,000
- Phoenix$10,000$4,000–$15,000
- Riverside$10,000$6,000–$14,300
- Washington DC$10,000$5,000–$15,000
- Detroit$9,000$6,000–$15,000
- Philadelphia$8,600$4,300–$12,000
A metro is shown when at least 30 hired-out jobs in the survey sample stand behind it.
What it covers
Every roofing job owners reported, all roof sizes and materials together: a small roof costs less, a large or steep one more.
The Census category is “Roofing” within “Exterior Additions and Replacements”: what Washington DC-area homeowners told the Census Bureau they paid, every size of job together.
Before you compare quotes
Ask every contractor to price the same scope, in writing. A quote outside the hired-out range above is a reason to ask what it covers, not proof that it is wrong. Are tear-off, decking repairs, flashing and disposal included?
Check the roofer’s license
The District licenses home improvement contractors, with a bond and liability insurance on file. Check the business license before you sign. DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection: business licensing (checked October 7, 2026).
Measure your job with the material calculator. Then put the quotes in the matching quote worksheet to see each one's scope beside its price.