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How many jobs a month a two-person roofing crew needs to break even
Computed at published 2026 prices and BLS wages: 1.1–1.2 shingle replacements or 8.2–9.2 leak repairs a month.
Quick answer: At published 2026 job prices and BLS crew wages, a two-person roofing crew clears its monthly break-even with about 1.1–1.2 full shingle replacements a month, 1.0–1.1 TPO flat roofs, 7.0–7.8 gutter installs, or 8.2–9.2 leak repairs — after paying the helper, the owner and general liability insurance.
Last updated: 2026-08-30
How many jobs a month does the crew need?
| Job type | Published range | Price used | Est. materials | Helper labor | Contribution | Jobs / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roof leak find-and-repair | $395–$1,965 | $1,180 | $492 | $87 | $602 | 8.2–9.2 |
| Gutter installation (typical home) | $626–$1,718 | $1,172 | $288 | $174 | $710 | 7.0–7.8 |
| Asphalt shingle roof replacement (full tear-off, avg. home) | $5,902–$13,373 | $9,638 | $4,446 | $521 | $4,670 | 1.1–1.2 |
| TPO flat roof replacement (~1,500 sq ft) | $7,500–$15,000 | $11,250 | $5,588 | $434 | $5,228 | 1.0–1.1 |
The jobs-per-month range spans the low and high ends of the sourced insurance figure. Rounded up to a tenth of a job — you cannot sell 0.94 of a roof.
How did we compute this?
The crew is the owner plus one paid helper. Per job type: break-even jobs = (owner pay + insurance ÷ 12) ÷ contribution per job, where contribution = price − materials − helper labor, run through the same engine as our free break-even calculator. The materials line is estimated as price × (1 − 41.5% gross margin) − full-crew labor at BLS wages — i.e. the industry-benchmark cost share with the labor part taken back out, since labor is priced separately below.
Where does each number come from?
- Job prices and hours — published 2026 cost guides per job type: Roof leak find-and-repair · Gutter installation · Asphalt shingle roof replacement · TPO flat roof replacement (retrieved undefined). The price used is the midpoint of each published range.
- Wages — BLS May 2025 OEWS medians: helpers–roofers $21.71/hr, roofers $27.95/hr (source, retrieved 2026-08-26). The helper is paid $21.71/hr on the clock; the owner draws $4,845/month — the roofer median annualized ÷ 12.
- Gross margin benchmark — 38–45% per retail residential job, midpoint 41.5% (PulseRevOps, retrieved 2026-08-26), used only to size the materials estimate.
- Insurance — roofing general liability $744–$7,896/yr (NEXT Insurance, retrieved 2026-08-26).
What is not in these numbers?
Workers’ comp (large and state-specific for roofing — the workbook tables it), vehicle, fuel, equipment replacement and marketing are excluded rather than invented, so every jobs-per-month figure is a floor. Materials are an estimate derived from a benchmark, not a supplier quote — settle real jobs against your own supplier pricing with the job settlement sheet.
Run your own numbers
- Break-even calculator — the engine behind this table, free in your browser
- Job settlement sheet — did the job actually clear your margin? free
- Free roofing companion kit — Excel financial model + printable worksheets
- Roofing Business Startup Plan — every figure sourced, $14.99
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Educational estimates only. These calculators and workbooks do the arithmetic on the figures you enter; they are general-purpose tools, not financial, investment, tax, legal, lending, insurance or construction advice, and no result is a quote, an offer, or a guarantee of any outcome. Results depend entirely on your inputs and assumptions.