The Atlas
All 50 states,
one playbook per state.
Roofing is a regional product. Hail belts cluster in the Plains; hurricane wind on the Gulf and Atlantic; cost per square scales 2× from low-cost states to high-cost states. Pick your state.
How does roofing differ state by state?
The federal floor is the same nationwide (warranty law, OSHA contractor rules, insurance contract baselines). Each state layers on its own contractor licensing posture, climate-zone-driven material spec, hail/wind risk profile, and post-ITC solar incentive program. Replacement cost ranges from roughly $9,500 in low-cost southern states to $26,000 in HI/AK for the same 2,000 sqft asphalt scope.
Northeast
IECC 5A · Hail Low
Connecticut
$13,000–$25,000
IECC 4A · Hail Low
Delaware
$11,500–$20,000
IECC 6A · Hail Low
Maine
$11,000–$20,000
IECC 4A · Hail Low
Maryland
$12,000–$22,000
IECC 5A · Hail Low
Massachusetts
$13,500–$25,000
IECC 6A · Hail Low
New Hampshire
$11,500–$20,500
IECC 4A · Hail Low
New Jersey
$12,500–$23,500
IECC 5A · Hail Low
New York
$13,000–$26,000
IECC 5A · Hail Moderate
Pennsylvania
$10,500–$19,500
IECC 5A · Hail Low
Rhode Island
$12,000–$22,000
IECC 6A · Hail Low
Vermont
$11,000–$20,500
Southeast
IECC 3A · Hail Moderate
Alabama
$8,500–$16,000
IECC 3A · Hail High
Arkansas
$8,500–$15,500
IECC 2A · Hail Low
Florida
$10,500–$22,000
IECC 3A · Hail Moderate
Georgia
$9,500–$18,000
IECC 4A · Hail Moderate
Kentucky
$9,000–$16,500
IECC 2A · Hail Low
Louisiana
$9,500–$18,500
IECC 3A · Hail Moderate
Mississippi
$8,500–$15,500
IECC 3A · Hail Moderate
North Carolina
$9,500–$18,000
IECC 3A · Hail Low
South Carolina
$9,500–$18,000
IECC 4A · Hail Moderate
Tennessee
$9,000–$17,000
IECC 4A · Hail Low
Virginia
$10,500–$19,500
IECC 5A · Hail Moderate
West Virginia
$9,000–$17,000
Midwest
IECC 5A · Hail High
Illinois
$11,000–$21,000
IECC 4A · Hail High
Indiana
$9,000–$17,000
IECC 5A · Hail Extreme
Iowa
$9,500–$18,000
IECC 5A · Hail Moderate
Michigan
$9,500–$18,000
IECC 6A · Hail High
Minnesota
$10,500–$19,500
IECC 4A · Hail Extreme
Missouri
$9,000–$17,500
IECC 5A · Hail High
Ohio
$9,000–$17,500
IECC 6A · Hail High
Wisconsin
$9,500–$18,500
Common questions about state-by-state roofing
Three drivers: regional labor cost (a 2,000 sqft tear-off in Manhattan vs Mobile differs 2x just on labor), tear-off complexity (2-layer vs 1-layer existing roof), and material premium (asphalt baseline vs Class 4 impact-resistant shingle in hail belts vs concrete tile in the desert Southwest). Climate zone drives ventilation, ice-and-water shield requirements, and underlayment spec — all of which shift the per-square cost.
TX, OK, KS, CO, NE, IA, MO, MN — top quartile of NOAA Storm Events hail frequency, 2015-2025 aggregate. Colorado is the leader in hail-cost-per-event ratio because of high property values combined with annual large-stone events. Class 4 impact-resistant shingles materially change insurance pricing in these states.
Gulf and Atlantic seaboard: TX, LA, MS, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, VA. Florida has the highest aggregate wind-claim volume; Texas leads in wind-claim cost per event. In these states, shingle wind-resistance rating (typically 130 mph+) is load-bearing for both insurance and warranty.
Roughly 30 states have no state-level residential solar program left as of 2026-04. Solar payback in those states runs almost entirely on net-metering credits and electricity-rate avoidance — the math is much closer to break-even than 2024 marketing implies. The 20 states with surviving programs are listed in the per-state pages.
About 30 states require a state license; ~10 license at the county/municipal level only; ~10 (TX, ID, WY, SD, ME, NH, VT, KY counties only, etc.) require no state-level roofing license. In no-license states, vetting (insurance, references, written-quote literacy) is entirely on the homeowner — this is the riskiest licensing posture in the country.