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

Home / Roofers / Mississippi

Roofer kneeling on underlayment driving nails with a nail gun

Home / Roofers / Mississippi

How to become a roofer in Mississippi

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

$21.61median an hour in Mississippi

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 MS
Programs in nearby states
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

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

Pay
You pay tuition
In MS
3 schools with programs
Trade schools in Mississippi
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 Mississippi is $21.61 an hour.

    Roofer pay in Mississippi
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC)
    Mississippi contractor license
Pay once you're working

$44,940

a year is the median for roofers in Mississippi ($21.61 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Jackson$21.56
  2. Hattiesburg$21.00
Mississippi median $21.61 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Mississippi licenses roofing contractors through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC).1

Are roofers in demand in Mississippi?

Projections Central expects about 50 roofer openings a year in Mississippi through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

Programs near Mississippi, what they ask for and how to apply.

Find a program

More for roofers in Mississippi

Sources

  1. Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) contractor licensing (msboc.us)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Mississippi, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)