Metal roof cost in Durham, NC
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (2,000 sq ft of roof)
- $9,000 – $29,800
- Per sq ft of roof
- $4.45 – $14.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −9%
- US $21,300
- Rank of 300 metros
- #188
- 1 = most expensive
Durham homeowners pay roughly $9,000 to $29,800 to install a metal roof at 2,000 sq ft of roof, or $4.45 to $14.50 per sq ft of roof (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Durham is 9% lower. Roofers earn a median of $23.56 an hour in the Durham area, 12% below the US median of $26.65.
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Estimated cost for 2,000 sq ft of roof in Durham, NC, standard level
$15,300 to $23,600
About $7.50 to $11.50 per sq ft of roof before permits. Labor is about 54% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $6,000 | $11,400 |
| Labor | $9,000 | $11,800 |
| Permits and fees | $250 | $390 |
| Total | $15,300 | $23,600 |
Cost breakdown for 2,000 sq ft of roof in Durham, NC
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,950 | $8,700 | $15,500 | 45% |
| Labor | $6,950 | $10,400 | $13,900 | 54% |
| Permits and fees | $150 | $320 | $490 | 2% |
| Total | $9,000 | $19,400 | $29,800 | 100% |
What is behind the Durham number
Labor is 54% of the midpoint bill here, against 56% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is roofers (70%), sheet metal workers (20%), construction laborers (10%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Durham the blended ratio comes out at 0.87. BLS does not publish this trade for the metro, so we used the North Carolina statewide median.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Durham metro is 96.6 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 2,000 sq ft of roof comes to $8,700, compared with $9,000 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (97.6) and land at $150 to $490.
Data note: 70% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Durham. The wage table below marks each row.
Metal roof: what moves the price in Durham
Metal and gauge
Galvalume and galvanized steel are budget-friendly; copper and zinc are the top of the range.
Labor
Metal roof labor is $4-$8 per sq ft, or $400-$800 per roofing square, and standing seam needs specialist crews.
Other metals
Tin runs $600-$1,800 per roofing square (100 sq ft) installed and aluminum $700-$1,700 per square (HomeGuide).
Planning more than one job in Durham?
Because every project leans on different trades, Durham's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, attic insulation runs −6% and vinyl siding −8%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | 2,000 sq ft of roof | $5,600 – $11,600 | −7% |
| Gutters | 160 linear ft | $1,150 – $3,900 | −7% |
| Attic insulation | 1,000 sq ft | $930 – $3,800 | −6% |
| Vinyl siding | 2,100 sq ft of wall | $7,750 – $23,300 | −8% |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Durham is 0.87 times the national level.
Roofers (47-2181) carry 70% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Durham metro, so we used the North Carolina statewide median: $23.56 an hour against $26.65 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $21.61 and $27.18 an hour.
For sheet metal workers (47-2211, weighted 20%) the local median is $22.23 an hour, which is 25% below the national $29.71. The middle half of them earn between $18.69 and $27.87 an hour. BLS counts 80 of them working in the area, 2.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 7.7), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 10% of the weighting: a median of $22.38 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $19.03 and $25.15 an hour. About 1,120 work in the metro. That is 32.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the roofers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($27.18 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $1,150. At the 25th percentile ($21.61) it shrinks by about $610. The total moves by 5.9% or 3.2%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 344,020 jobs in the Durham-Chapel Hill area. That makes it the 74th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.22% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers (47-2181) | 70% | $21.61 | $23.56 | $27.18 | $26.65 | 0.88 | state |
| Sheet metal workers (47-2211) | 20% | $18.69 | $22.23 | $27.87 | $29.71 | 0.75 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 10% | $19.03 | $22.38 | $25.15 | $22.66 | 0.99 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.87 | |||||
When to schedule metal roof in Durham
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Raleigh Durham Intl Ap (10 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
August through June is the stretch where exterior installation runs into the fewest weather problems in Durham (11 of 12 months). July has an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Durham gets about 46 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 5 inches of snow. The wettest months are July, August and September (5.2 inches in September). Inside the workable window, February and November are the driest, at 2.8 and 3.3 inches. The station averages about 52 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 32 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Feb | 56 | 34 | 2.8 | Workable |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.5 | Workable |
| May | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 5.0 | Hot |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.7 | Workable |
| Sep | 83 | 63 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Dec | 55 | 34 | 3.4 | Workable |
Durham against nearby metros and the rest of North Carolina
Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 2,000 sq ft of roof range from $19,300 to $19,800 across Durham and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham, NCthis page | $9,000 – $29,800 | $19,400 | |
| Burlington, NC15 miles | $8,950 – $29,700 | $19,300 | level |
| Greensboro, NC40 miles | $9,150 – $30,100 | $19,600 | +1% |
| Raleigh, NC40 miles | $9,300 – $30,400 | $19,800 | +2% |
| Fayetteville, NC65 miles | $8,950 – $29,700 | $19,300 | −1% |
| Winston, NC70 miles | $9,000 – $29,700 | $19,400 | level |
| North Carolina (statewide) | $9,100 – $30,000 | $19,500 | +1% |
| United States | $10,200 – $32,500 | $21,300 | +10% |
Across 300 US metros, Durham comes in at #188 from the top. The priciest is Worcester, MA at $29,600; the cheapest is Lubbock, TX at $17,000 (midpoints, 2,000 sq ft of roof). Statewide, Durham is 1% below the North Carolina figure.
Other North Carolina metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | 1,358,370 jobs | $9,050 – $29,900 | $19,500 | level |
| Raleigh, NC | 743,120 jobs | $9,300 – $30,400 | $19,800 | +2% |
| Greensboro, NC | 365,410 jobs | $9,150 – $30,100 | $19,600 | +1% |
| Winston, NC | 271,980 jobs | $9,000 – $29,700 | $19,400 | level |
| Wilmington, NC | 191,280 jobs | $9,000 – $29,800 | $19,400 | level |
| Asheville, NC | 180,620 jobs | $9,250 – $30,300 | $19,800 | +2% |
Cities with a workforce like Durham's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Durham against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester, MA | 349,880 jobs | $15,800 – $43,400 | $29,600 | +52% |
| North Port, FL | 339,940 jobs | $9,050 – $29,900 | $19,500 | level |
| Little Rock, AR | 358,210 jobs | $8,650 – $28,700 | $18,700 | −4% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $7,600 – $26,600 | $17,100 | −12% |
Pick a size, pick a tier: metal roof pricing in Durham
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Durham wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 3 common sizes.
Basic
$9,000 to $17,300
Corrugated or exposed-fastener steel panels
Standard
$15,300 to $23,600
Standing seam steel
Premium
$21,500 to $29,800
Aluminum or premium finish, complex roof
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| small (1,200 sq ft of roof) | $5,450 – $10,500 | $9,250 – $14,300 | $13,000 – $18,100 |
| average (2,000 sq ft of roof) | $9,000 – $17,300 | $15,300 – $23,600 | $21,500 – $29,800 |
| large (2,800 sq ft of roof) | $12,600 – $24,200 | $21,300 – $32,900 | $30,000 – $41,600 |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $15,300 to $23,600 for Durham, NC is attached.
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Metal roof in Durham: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a metal roof in Durham?
For 2,000 sq ft of roof, expect $9,000 to $29,800 in the Durham area. A standard-spec job lands at $15,300 to $23,600. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft of roof and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft of roof for metal roof in Durham?
About $4.45 to $14.50 per sq ft of roof for materials and labor, plus $150 to $490 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $5 to $16.
+Is metal roof cheaper in Durham or Burlington?
Burlington is 15 miles away. The midpoint for 2,000 sq ft of roof there is $19,300, which is 0% less than Durham ($19,400). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Durham?
About 54% at the midpoint, or $10,400 out of $19,400. Materials are 45% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 56%.
+What would average (2,000 sq ft of roof) cost in Durham?
$9,000 to $29,800. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does metal roof need a permit in Durham?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $150 to $490 for fees in the Durham area (our national range of $150 to $500 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Durham expensive for metal roof compared with the rest of North Carolina?
Durham is 1% below the North Carolina statewide estimate ($19,500 at the midpoint). We cover 11 metros in North Carolina; see the state page to compare them.
+What do roofers earn in Durham?
BLS has no published metro figure here, so we use the statewide median of $23.56 an hour, compared with $26.65 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $21.61 to $27.18.
+What do basic and premium metal roof work cost in Durham?
For 2,000 sq ft of roof, basic work runs $9,000 to $17,300 and premium work $21,500 to $29,800. Basic means: corrugated or exposed-fastener steel panels. Premium means: aluminum or premium finish, complex roof.
+When is the best time to install a metal roof in Durham?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are August through June. February and November are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Metal roof near Durham
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does a Metal Roof Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = installed range minus HomeGuide's $4-$8/sq ft labor range for metal roofs.