Workers’ comp insurance cost for roofers in South Carolina

Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly

Direct answer: South Carolina roofing contractors pay a filed workers’-comp manual rate of $17.19 per $100 of payroll (2024 filed rate) — the 6th-highest of 51 US jurisdictions. Modeled on real payrolls, most <5-employee roofing contractors land around $9.7k–$39k/yr, before experience mods and schedule credits.

What do South Carolina roofing contractors pay for workers’ comp?

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

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

typical · most SC roofing contractors
<5 emp
$15k/yr
5–9 emp
$66k/yr
10–19 emp
$140k/yr
20–49 emp
$330k/yr
SMALLER
MID-SIZE
LARGER
A <5-employee SC roofing company: modeled $9.7k–$39k/yr in workers’-comp premium (that band’s own average wage, before experience mods and schedule credits). Bar heights show how many of the 300 SC roofing contractors fall in each size band.

Cohort: size distribution of 300 SC roofing contractors (Census CBP 2023); premiums modeled from one filed rate ($17.19/$100 payroll, 2024). Bands shown cover 290 of 300 establishments (96.7%) 10 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 (SC)
$17.19 / $100 payroll
as of 2024
Typical <5-employee roofing company (62% of SC)
$9.7k–$39k / 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 South Carolina compare to nearby ranks?

Calculated manual rates, $ per $100 payroll, NCCI class 5551 (Roofing — All Kinds), 2024. See all 51 jurisdictions →

RankStateRate / $100 payroll
2New York$23.22
3Connecticut$18.34
4Hawaii$18.02
5Wisconsin$17.81
6South Carolina$17.19
7California$15.68
8Missouri$15.16
9Vermont$15.04
10Rhode Island$14.86

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 South Carolina?

Modeled from the 2024 filed manual rate of $17.19 per $100 of payroll: a <5-employee roofing company lands around $9.7k–$39k 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: California ($15.68) · Wisconsin ($17.81) · Missouri ($15.16) · New York ($23.22)

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Illustrative benchmark — not a quote or coverage recommendation. Figures are modeled from public filings and Census data for 300 South Carolina roofing contractors; your premium depends on your payroll, claims history, and carrier.