Material · 2026 Q3
Natural slate: cost per square
Installed, $1,000 to $3,000 per square nationally. The Index splits that into materials $600 to $1,600 and labor $400 to $1,400 per square (HomeGuide slate-roof page), and scales only the labor part by each area's BLS roofer wage. US typical on the Index: $2,000 per square.
How much does a slate roof cost?
$27,436 to $82,367 on a 2,000 sq ft single-story home (6/12 pitch, one layer torn off, permit and dumpster included) at US-average labor, typical $54,861. Installed, that is $10.00 to $30.00 per square foot of roof.
Sources for this material
- HomeGuide (page dated 2026), retrieved 2026-09-25:
A slate roof costs $10 to $30 per square foot installed ... Natural slate roof tiles cost $600 to $1,600 per square for materials alone ... Slate roof shingles cost $1,000 to $3,000+ per square installed ... Installing a slate roof costs $4 to $14 per square foot for labor alone.
per-square values converted from the quoted $/sq ft x 100 (1 square = 100 sq ft) - HomeAdvisor (page dated June 19, 2026), retrieved 2026-09-25:
Natural slate tiles cost $20 to $30 per square foot ... It can take 10 to 12 hours to install one square (100 square feet) of natural slate
per-square values converted from the quoted $/sq ft x 100 (1 square = 100 sq ft) - HomeGuide (page dated 2026), retrieved 2026-09-25:
Natural slate | $10 – $30 [per sq ft installed] | $22,000 – $70,000
per-square values converted from the quoted $/sq ft x 100 (1 square = 100 sq ft)
Per-square = per-sq-ft x 100. The split used by the Index comes from HomeGuide slate-roof page. Other materials: Architectural shingles, 3-tab shingles, Standing seam metal, Metal panel, Tile, Flat membrane.
Slate by state, 2026 Q3
| Rank | State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $1,134 | $2,302 | $3,470 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $1,112 | $2,251 | $3,391 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $1,102 | $2,230 | $3,358 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $1,102 | $2,229 | $3,356 |
| 5 | New York | $1,077 | $2,174 | $3,270 |
| 6 | Washington | $1,074 | $2,166 | $3,258 |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $1,073 | $2,164 | $3,256 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $1,071 | $2,160 | $3,249 |
| 9 | Alaska | $1,071 | $2,160 | $3,249 |
| 10 | California | $1,064 | $2,144 | $3,223 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $1,039 | $2,088 | $3,137 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $1,037 | $2,084 | $3,131 |
| 13 | Maryland | $1,024 | $2,054 | $3,084 |
| 14 | Oregon | $1,023 | $2,052 | $3,081 |
| 15 | Michigan | $1,023 | $2,051 | $3,080 |
| 16 | Hawaii | $1,023 | $2,051 | $3,079 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $1,017 | $2,037 | $3,058 |
| 18 | Indiana | $1,011 | $2,026 | $3,040 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $999 | $1,999 | $2,998 |
| 20 | Nevada | $995 | $1,989 | $2,983 |
| 21 | Montana | $992 | $1,983 | $2,973 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $989 | $1,974 | $2,960 |
| 23 | Missouri | $988 | $1,972 | $2,956 |
| 24 | Vermont | $988 | $1,972 | $2,956 |
| 25 | Colorado | $987 | $1,970 | $2,953 |
| 26 | Ohio | $983 | $1,962 | $2,940 |
| 27 | Delaware | $980 | $1,956 | $2,931 |
| 28 | Idaho | $974 | $1,941 | $2,908 |
| 29 | Maine | $970 | $1,931 | $2,893 |
| 30 | Kansas | $967 | $1,926 | $2,885 |
| 31 | Louisiana | $963 | $1,917 | $2,871 |
| 32 | Iowa | $958 | $1,906 | $2,854 |
| 33 | Utah | $955 | $1,899 | $2,842 |
| 34 | Virginia | $954 | $1,898 | $2,841 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $951 | $1,891 | $2,830 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $949 | $1,885 | $2,821 |
| 37 | Arizona | $948 | $1,883 | $2,819 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $945 | $1,877 | $2,809 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $944 | $1,875 | $2,805 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $942 | $1,869 | $2,797 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $938 | $1,860 | $2,783 |
| 42 | Florida | $936 | $1,856 | $2,777 |
| 43 | Georgia | $933 | $1,850 | $2,767 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $930 | $1,843 | $2,756 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $930 | $1,842 | $2,754 |
| 46 | Alabama | $929 | $1,841 | $2,753 |
| 47 | Texas | $925 | $1,831 | $2,737 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $923 | $1,827 | $2,731 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $922 | $1,824 | $2,725 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $915 | $1,809 | $2,703 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $912 | $1,801 | $2,690 |
Rank is the state's overall Index rank of 51; the ordering is the same for every material because only labor varies.
Cost in the largest metros
The 12 metro areas with the most roofers (BLS, May 2025), typical cost per square for architectural shingles.
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $549
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL $445
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $628
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL $447
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $606
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $584
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ $464
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL $449
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $590
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $529
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA $549
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $452
Slate roof cost questions
How much does a slate roof cost?
On a 2,000 sq ft single-story home (6/12 pitch, one layer torn off, permit and dumpster included), a slate roof costs $27,436 to $82,367 at US-average labor, typical $54,861 (2026 Q3 Roof Cost Index).
How much is a slate roof per square foot?
$10.00 to $30.00 per square foot of roof surface installed, which is $1,000 to $3,000 per square (100 sq ft). Materials are $600 to $1,600 per square and labor $400 to $1,400.
Where is a slate roof most and least expensive?
Illinois is the most expensive state (typical $62,290 for the 2,000 sq ft example) and Mississippi the least ($49,967). Only labor varies by state in this edition, so the ranking is the same for every material.
Estimate a slate roof
Low / typical / high ranges from cited national cost tables, adjusted by local roofer wages (BLS). No email required.