Start with the answer
Roofers pay in Florida and Illinois
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Roofers is $47,590 per year in Florida. It is $77,900 per year in Illinois. Florida is 38.9% below Illinois on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-2181 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 23,550 wage and salary jobs in Florida and 5,300 in Illinois. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
