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Roofer kneeling on underlayment driving nails with a nail gun

Home / Roofers / Wisconsin

How to become a roofer in Wisconsin

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

2registered apprenticeship programs$28.54median an hour in Wisconsin

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 WI
2 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 WI
10 schools with programs
Trade schools in Wisconsin
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 Wisconsin is $28.54 an hour.

    Roofer pay in Wisconsin
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    WI DSPS - Dwelling Contractor
    Wisconsin contractor license
Pay once you're working

$59,370

a year is the median for roofers in Wisconsin ($28.54 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Janesville–Beloit$30.44
  2. Appleton$29.75
  3. Madison$29.24
  4. Racine–Mount Pleasant$29.17
  5. Milwaukee–Waukesha$28.91
Wisconsin median $28.54 an hour

Questions

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

Check the WI DSPS before you bid work on your own.1

Are roofers in demand in Wisconsin?

Projections Central expects about 200 roofer openings a year in Wisconsin through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for roofers in Wisconsin

Sources

  1. WI DSPS - Dwelling Contractor (dsps.wi.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Wisconsin, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)