$19,872 for a 24-square roof in Austin. Which line do I ask about?

Look at the labor line first. Three roofers for four days is 96 crew hours, and $7,200 for 96 hours is $75.00 an hour. The BLS wage for roofers in the Austin metro, loaded with the Texas DOT markup for overhead, profit, insurance and taxes, gives $43.34 to $59.83 an hour. That gap is the question.

The card for this issue. The quote is illustrative, written for teaching; it is not any real contractor's quote.

The quote

Illustrative quote. Roof replacement, Austin, TX.

Line	Quoted
Tear-off and haul-away, 1 layer	$2,400
Shingles, architectural, 24 squaresProduct name not given	$7,920
Underlayment, flashing, ventsLump sum	$2,352
Labor, 3 roofers x 4 daysThe line to ask about	$7,200
Total	$19,872

The one line to ask about

Labor, 3 roofers x 4 days: $7,200

It is the one line on this quote that public data can check directly. The crew size and the days are written down, so the hours are known.

The Texas Department of Transportation pays contractors for extra work at the payroll rate plus 25% "as compensation for overhead, superintendence, profit, and small tools" (Item 9, Article 9.7.1.1), plus 55% of the labor cost for labor insurance and labor taxes (Article 9.7.1.2). Applied to the BLS May 2025 wage for roofers in the Austin metro, that gives a loaded crew hour of $43.34 at the mean wage and $59.83 at the 90th percentile.

The 25% in that factor already covers overhead and profit. The quote's $75.00 per crew hour is $15.17 above even the 90th percentile loaded rate.

The arithmetic

1. Crew hours: 3 roofers x 4 days x 8 hours = 96
2. Loading: 1 + 25% + 55% = 1.80 (TxDOT Item 9)
3. Loaded rate at the mean wage: $24.08 x 1.80 = $43.34 per crew hour
4. Loaded rate at the 90th percentile wage: $33.24 x 1.80 = $59.83 per crew hour
5. Reference for 96 crew hours: $4,161 to $5,744
6. Quoted: $7,200, which is $75.00 per crew hour and $1,456 above the upper reference

Public numbers used above:

• $24.08: Roofers (SOC 47-2181), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, mean hourly wage, May 2025. Source
• $33.24: Roofers (SOC 47-2181), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 90th percentile hourly wage, May 2025. Source
• 25%: TxDOT Item 9, Article 9.7.1.1: overhead, superintendence, profit and small tools, on payroll. Source
• 55%: TxDOT Item 9, Article 9.7.1.2: labor insurance and labor taxes, on labor cost. Source

What to ask the contractor

Copy this into a text or an email. A contractor with a reason for each number can answer in a minute.

Thanks for the quote. Before I decide, could you tell me:
1. How many people and how many days the $7,200 labor line assumes, and whether anything else (accessories, cleanup, the dumpster) is folded into it.
2. The shingle product name and the number of squares, including the waste percentage.
3. How many layers the tear-off assumes.
4. The product names for the underlayment, flashing and vents.
I'm comparing quotes line by line, so the breakdown helps.

Copy the questions

What this does not establish

It does not show the quote is unfair. A steep pitch, a second layer, a two-story walk or a crew that also hauls and cleans can all justify more hours or a higher rate. The BLS wage is an average of what roofers are paid, not what a contractor bills, and the DOT loading is a public-works payment rule, not a law for home repairs. It tells you which line to ask about and what a good answer has to explain.

Questions

Is $75 an hour too much for a roofing crew in Austin?

Not necessarily. It is above the $43.34 to $59.83 loaded reference built from BLS wages and the TxDOT loading, so it is worth asking what the rate covers. A steep pitch, extra layers or work folded into labor are honest answers.

Why use a Texas DOT rule for a home roof?

It is a published Texas rule that states how much to add to a wage for overhead, profit, insurance and taxes: 25% plus 55% on base wages. It is a reference point, not a price the contractor has to follow.

What should I ask first?

The crew size and the days behind the labor line. Without them no one can check the hours.

Sources

Every public number on this page links to the record it comes from. Wages were looked up in USCCDB, which carries the BLS file as published. Statutes, codes and agency pages are quoted as published on October 9, 2026; check the source for changes.

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area data (oesm25ma.zip)
2. Texas Department of Transportation, Standard Specifications 2024, Item 9, Measurement and Payment, Articles 9.7.1.1 to 9.7.1.3
3. United States Construction Cost Database (USCCDB) v1.0, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22979157, CC BY 4.0

Related guides

• Is my roofing quote too high?
• What trades earn per hour in Austin, TX
• Overhead and profit on a contractor quote

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