Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / Roofers / Minnesota

Roofer kneeling on underlayment driving nails with a nail gun

Home / Roofers / Minnesota

How to become a roofer in Minnesota

Most roofers in Minnesota start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

6registered apprenticeship programs$35.81median an hour in Minnesota

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In MN
6 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In MN
11 schools with programs
Trade schools in Minnesota
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed roofing contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a roofer

    Median pay in Minnesota is $35.81 an hour.

    Roofer pay in Minnesota
  3. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need a roofing contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing
    Minnesota contractor license
Pay once you're working

$74,490

a year is the median for roofers in Minnesota ($35.81 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. St. Cloud$38.10
  2. Minneapolis–St. Paul$36.25
  3. Duluth$35.03
  4. Rochester$29.78
  5. Mankato$24.16
Minnesota median $35.81 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a roofer in Minnesota?

Yes. Minnesota licenses roofing contractors through the Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI).1

Are roofers in demand in Minnesota?

Projections Central expects about 180 roofer openings a year in Minnesota through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

6 registered programs in Minnesota. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for roofers in Minnesota

Sources

  1. Dept of Labor and Industry (DLI) - Construction Codes and Licensing contractor licensing (dli.mn.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Minnesota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)