For the third consecutive year, RC issued a version of its annual State of the Industry survey to homeowners in various roofing markets across the country. Packed with another set of questions designed to deliver insights into the rapidly-evolving home roofing and restoration market, the survey is part of RC’s 2026 State of the Industry coverage. The research centered on homeowner expectations, service delivery, technology, sales, and more. We are sharing the results with the intent to spread the information and better equip roofing contractors in any market with more tools to make an impact.

The survey circulated over the summer went to homeowners who are involved in decisions on roofing at their home or another’s home that they manage. Nearly all owned a single-family detached house.

A presentation on the full survey’s findings with RC’s research partners will take place from 2:30 – 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 on the show floor of the 2026 International Roofing Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  

A report on the full survey will appear in a future edition of RC. In the meantime, here are five highlights roofing contractors will want to know and should check out further.  

Is Solar Dead?

Nearly 69% of homeowners surveyed said they currently have asphalt shingles on their roofs.

While just 9% of respondents said they currently have solar panels mounted on their roofs, roughly 55% said they’re interested in either solar-mounted panels (35%) or solar roof tiles (20%). About 50% said they’re not interested at all in solar products. 

High Expectations

Most homeowners expect roofing work to start within two weeks of accepting a quote, with a typical wait of between 3-13 days. Contractors surveyed appear aligned, with 88% starting jobs in les than two weeks.

Old-Fashioned Referrals

Homeowners overwhelmingly said word-of-mouth remains the top method of finding roofing contractors (74%), followed by repeat business with contractors they know (62%), and then online search engines (54%).

New-Fashioned Referrals

While search engines remain the dominant source of broad lead gathering for homeowners in need of a roof, social media (25%) and AI search results accounted are gaining ground (11%).

Is the Price Right?

Nearly two-thirds (65%) indicated they’re more likely to call a roofing contractor that made pricing transparent on their company website. Conversely, about a third of contractors surveyed (33%) said they don’t feature any pricing information online.

2026 State of the Industry State of the Industry Q&A Facing 2026 5 Things Roofing Contractors
Want to Know Who Took This Year's Survey?