Workers’ comp insurance cost for roofers in New York

Q: What does workers' comp cost roofing contractors in New York?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $23.22 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee roofing company lands around $15k–$61k per year before experience mods and schedule credits.

Q: 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.

Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: New York roofing contractors pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $23.22 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 2nd-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most <5-employee roofing contractors land around $15k–$61k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

67% of NY roofing contractors have <5 employees — the chart below prices every size band from its own observed payroll.
New York sits 2nd of 51: GA pays more ($28.84), CA less ($15.68).
Workers’ comp is one of several coverages — see everything your roofing company needs in New York →

What do New York roofing contractors pay for workers’ comp?

Modeled annual premium across the real size distribution of NY roofing contractors

bar height = how many roofing contractors are that size · figures = modeled annual cost

typical · most NY roofing contractors

▼

<5 emp

≈$22k/yr

5–9 emp

≈$95k/yr

10–19 emp

≈$230k/yr

20–49 emp

≈$670k/yr

50–99 emp

≈$1.1M/yr

SMALLER

MID-SIZE

LARGER

A <5-employee NY roofing company: modeled $15k–$61k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 838 NY roofing contractors fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 838 NY roofing contractors (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($23.22/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 833 of 838 establishments (99.4%) — 5 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.

Filed manual rate (NY)

$23.22 / $100 payroll

as of 2024

Typical <5-employee roofing company (67% of NY)

$15k–$61k / yr modeled

as of 2024 · CBP 2023

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 New York 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
1	Georgia	$28.84
2	New York	$23.22
3	Connecticut	$18.34
4	Hawaii	$18.02
5	Wisconsin	$17.81
6	South Carolina	$17.19

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 New York?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $23.22 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee roofing company lands around $15k–$61k 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: Georgia ($28.84) · Wisconsin ($17.81) · South Carolina ($17.19) · California ($15.68)

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Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 838 New York roofing contractors; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.