Roofers in West Virginia
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,802
after federal, FICA and West Virginia tax
Tax takes
$9,368
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$46,564
West Virginia costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in West Virginia — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$51,170
Kept after tax
$41,802
Worth in national money
$46,564
State rank
26
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. West Virginia is 26 of 51 states for roofers, with a middle wage of $51,170. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 473 occupations West Virginia reports figures for, this is number 227.
- Here is where West Virginia does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $51,170 you keep $41,802, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $46,564 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $51,080, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- West Virginia ranks 26 of 51 for roofers at $51,170. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In West Virginia's occupational distribution, roofers sits at 227 of 473 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- After federal, FICA and West Virginia income tax, retained pay for roofers on $51,170 is $41,802. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $46,564 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $51,080 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Roofers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $28,660 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $51,170 |
| Top tenth earn over | $69,820 |
| This salary | $51,170 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in West Virginia | $41,802 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $43,295 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,010 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $49,311 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,431 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of roofers in West Virginia earn under $51,170 and half over. The published range runs $28,660 at the tenth percentile to $69,820 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $41,802 take-home in West Virginia comes from $51,170. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 227 of 473.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $46,564 uses one figure for the whole of West Virginia. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 473 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 227.
- Figures are distribution medians for roofers in West Virginia, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $28,660 to $69,820; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Retained pay of $41,802, from $51,170, assumes a single West Virginia filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 227 of 473 locally, and the state ranks 26 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $46,564, worked from $51,170, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular West Virginia address, on work sitting at 227 of 473 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $28,660 at the bottom tenth to $69,820 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $46,564.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; West Virginia then takes its own share, leaving $41,802.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($28,660) and the ninetieth ($69,820) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
West Virginia's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $46,564 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $41,802 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and West Virginia income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.