Roof replacement cost in the District of Columbia
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (2,000 sq ft of roof)
- $6,700 – $13,600
- Per sq ft of roof
- $3.30 – $6.55
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +9%
- US $9,300
- Metros covered
- 1
District of Columbia prices for roof: $6,700 to $13,600 for 2,000 sq ft of roof, or $3.30 to $6.55 per sq ft of roof without the permit. The state midpoint is 9% above the national one. Local wages for roofers are $29.69 an hour.
District of Columbia has one metro in our dataset, Washington, so the statewide and metro figures are close. The state figure uses BLS statewide wages, which include rural areas.
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Estimated cost for 2,000 sq ft of roof in District of Columbia (statewide), standard level
$8,750 to $11,500
About $4.25 to $5.55 per sq ft of roof before permits. Labor is about 62% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,800 | $4,250 |
| Labor | $5,750 | $6,900 |
| Permits and fees | $240 | $420 |
| Total | $8,750 | $11,500 |
Cost breakdown for 2,000 sq ft of roof in District of Columbia
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,700 | $3,500 | $5,350 | 35% |
| Labor | $4,850 | $6,300 | $7,750 | 62% |
| Permits and fees | $110 | $330 | $550 | 3% |
| Total | $6,700 | $10,100 | $13,600 | 100% |
Why two District of Columbia quotes can differ
Shingle type
3-tab asphalt is $3-$5 per sq ft installed; architectural is $4-$6 (HomeGuide). Metal, tile and slate are separate projects with much higher ranges.
Roof area, not floor area
Pitch and complexity mean roof surface is larger than the house's footprint. A 1,500 sq ft ranch can have 1,800-2,200 sq ft of roof.
Tear-off and layers
Removing a second layer or rotted decking adds cost, and the contractor can only see decking damage after tear-off.
Tear-off
Removing the old roof is $1-$5 per sq ft depending on the material and number of layers (HomeGuide). Check that your quote includes it.
Permit
Roof replacement permits run $100-$500 depending on the location.
Related projects, priced for the District of Columbia
Each project weights the trades differently, so District of Columbia's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, metal roof is +8% and attic insulation +5%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal roof | 2,000 sq ft of roof | $11,000 – $35,000 | +8% |
| Gutters | 160 linear ft | $1,350 – $4,450 | +6% |
| Vinyl siding | 2,100 sq ft of wall | $8,800 – $26,400 | +5% |
| Attic insulation | 1,000 sq ft | $1,050 – $4,200 | +5% |
Basic, standard or premium: District of Columbia prices
Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from small (1,200 sq ft of roof) to very large (3,600 sq ft of roof).
Basic
$6,700 to $9,450
3-tab shingles, single layer, simple roof
Standard
$8,750 to $11,500
Architectural shingles, standard pitch and tear-off
Premium
$10,800 to $13,600
Heavy architectural, steep or cut-up roof, decking repairs
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| small (1,200 sq ft of roof) | $4,050 – $5,800 | $5,350 – $7,100 | $6,650 – $8,400 |
| average (2,000 sq ft of roof) | $6,700 – $9,450 | $8,750 – $11,500 | $10,800 – $13,600 |
| large (2,800 sq ft of roof) | $9,300 – $13,100 | $12,200 – $16,000 | $15,000 – $18,800 |
| very large (3,600 sq ft of roof) | $11,900 – $16,800 | $15,600 – $20,400 | $19,200 – $24,100 |
District of Columbia metro-by-metro prices
District of Columbia has one metro in our dataset, Washington, so the statewide and metro figures are close. The state figure uses BLS statewide wages, which include rural areas. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.
| Metro | Range (2,000 sq ft of roof) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | $6,400 – $13,100 | $9,750 | −4% |
District of Columbia versus the states around it
District of Columbia ranks 9 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for roof, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is New Jersey at $11,700 and the cheapest Oklahoma at $7,900, both for 2,000 sq ft of roof at the midpoint. District of Columbia sits at $10,100. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 50 miles away | $6,450 – $13,100 | $9,800 | −3% |
| Virginia | 110 miles away | $5,600 – $11,700 | $8,650 | −15% |
| Pennsylvania | 110 miles away | $6,150 – $12,500 | $9,350 | −8% |
| Delaware | 110 miles away | $6,300 – $12,700 | $9,500 | −6% |
| New Jersey | 160 miles away | $7,900 – $15,500 | $11,700 | +15% |
What roofers and the other trades earn in the District of Columbia
District of Columbia's labor line is priced from 2 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 1.11 times the national level.
Roofers (47-2181), 85% of the weighting: a median of $29.69 an hour, 11% above the US median of $26.65. The middle half of them earn between $23.37 and $48.83 an hour. About 100 work in the state. That is 1.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 8.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 15%) the local median is $24.05 an hour, which is 6% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $20.80 and $28.41 an hour. BLS counts 2,090 of them working in the state, 29.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for roofers ($48.83 an hour) would add about $3,500 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($23.37) would take off about $1,150. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 701,920 jobs across the District of Columbia (May 2025), which is 0.5% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers (47-2181) | 85% | $23.37 | $29.69 | $48.83 | $26.65 | 1.11 | state |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 15% | $20.80 | $24.05 | $28.41 | $22.66 | 1.06 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.11 | |||||
District of Columbia seasons and roof
Weather decides when exterior installation can happen, and District of Columbia is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.
Washington has 11 comfortable months (August through June), with about 42 inches of precipitation a year.
We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.
| Metro | Jan avg low °F | Jul avg high °F | Precip (in/yr) | Comfortable months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 30 | 90 | 42 | 11: August through June |
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Roof replacement in the District of Columbia: your questions
+How much does it cost to replace a roof in the District of Columbia?
$6,700 to $13,600 for 2,000 sq ft of roof, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside the District of Columbia can sit above or below that.
+Which city in the District of Columbia is cheapest for roof?
Washington at about $9,750 (midpoint, 2,000 sq ft of roof).
+Is roof cheaper in the District of Columbia than the US average?
It is 9% more expensive: $10,100 against $9,300 for 2,000 sq ft of roof at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in the District of Columbia?
About 62% ($6,300). Materials are 35%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 1.11x the national wage level.
+What do roofers earn in the District of Columbia?
The BLS statewide median is $29.69 an hour, against $26.65 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.37 to $48.83.
+Where does District of Columbia rank for roof costs?
9th most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $10,100 for 2,000 sq ft of roof. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium roof work cost in the District of Columbia?
For 2,000 sq ft of roof, basic work runs $6,700 to $9,450 and premium work $10,800 to $13,600. Basic means: 3-tab shingles, single layer, simple roof. Premium means: heavy architectural, steep or cut-up roof, decking repairs.
+Does the season matter for roof in the District of Columbia?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the District of Columbia metros we cover, Washington has the most comfortable months (11 of 12) based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals. Our prices do not change by month, so ask contractors whether they charge more or less in busy and slow seasons.
Roof replacement by city in the District of Columbia
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 Roof Replacement Cost? (2026) (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 = HomeGuide's asphalt shingle price of $80-$250 per roofing square (100 sq ft), i.e. $0.80-$2.50 per sq ft. The rest of the installed price covers roofer labor ($1.50-$3.00/sq ft), tear-off, disposal, underlayment and contractor overhead.