Insurance for your business
- Auto repair shops
- Bars
- Carpenters
- Electricians
- Fast food
- Home-health agencies
- Painters
- Physician offices
- Restaurants
- Roofers
- Trucking companies
Learn
Compare two coverages
Workers’ comp insurance cost for roofers in California
Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly
- 63% of CA roofing contractors have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
- California sits 7th of 51: NY pays more ($23.22), NC less ($13.50).
- Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your roofing company needs in California →
What do California roofing contractors pay for workers’ comp?
Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of CA roofing contractors
bar height = how many roofing contractors are that size · figures = modeled annual cost
Cohort: size distribution of 2,926 CA roofing contractors (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($15.68/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 2,922 of 2,926 establishments (99.9%) — 4 establishments in larger, very small-count, or data-suppressed size bands are not shown. 2023 payroll dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation.
Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04) · US Census County Business Patterns 2023, state file (Roofing contractors (NAICS 238160)) (as of 2023, retrieved 2026-06-05)
How does California compare to nearby ranks?
Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 5551 (Roofing — All Kinds), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →
| Rank | State | Rate / $100 payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Connecticut | $18.34 |
| 4 | Hawaii | $18.02 |
| 5 | Wisconsin | $17.81 |
| 6 | South Carolina | $17.19 |
| 7 | California | $15.68 |
| 8 | Missouri | $15.16 |
| 9 | Vermont | $15.04 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $14.86 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $13.96 |
Sources: Oregon DCBS workers' compensation premium rate ranking study, June 2025 (calendar-year 2024 rates) (as of calendar year 2024, retrieved 2026-06-04)
Frequently asked questions
What does workers' comp cost roofing contractors in California?
Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $15.68 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee roofing company lands around $9.1k–$36k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.
What drives the rate up or down?
Three levers: payroll (the exposure base), claims history (the experience modifier), and schedule credits/debits the insurer applies. Roofing work is NCCI class 5551 (Roofing — All Kinds) — one classification covers roofing of every kind, residential and commercial alike.
Roofers in nearby-ranked states: Missouri ($15.16) · South Carolina ($17.19) · Wisconsin ($17.81) · Oklahoma ($13.96)
Stay informed
We’ll notify you when we’re ready to benchmark your roofing company’s coverage.
No spam — one email.
Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 2,926 California roofing contractors; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.