Ontario Roofing Industry Statistics May 2026

Roofing is a large and steady business across Canada. The market was worth about 4.37 billion US dollars in 2025, and it is expected to reach 6.09 billion by 2033. That growth follows a simple fact: every roof in the country eventually wears out and needs to be replaced.

The Niagara Region was home to 207,926 private dwellings and 477,941 residents in the 2021 census. That is a lot of roofs spread across a wide area, from lakeside towns to escarpment communities. Each one is exposed to the same lake-driven wind, snow, and freeze-thaw weather year after year.

Older homes mean older roofs. About 41 percent of Niagara's housing was built before 1980, based on the 2021 census, with another 25 percent going up between 1981 and 2000. A typical asphalt roof lasts 15 to 25 years, so many of these homes have already been re-roofed at least once and a steady share reach replacement age every year.

Niagara sits between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, which feeds strong winds, lake-effect snow, and fast summer storms. In late December 2025, winds reached 110 km/h and cut power to more than a thousand homes across the region. Our Niagara Storm Damage Tracker logs each major event as it happens.

A new asphalt shingle roof on a typical 1,500 square foot Ontario home runs about 8,500 to 18,000 dollars installed, with most jobs landing near 10,500. The final price depends on roof size, shingle grade, and how complex the roof is. Metal costs more up front but lasts far longer.

Asphalt shingles are the most popular roofing choice in Canada. They made up about 37 percent of the roofing materials market in 2025, the largest share of any single material. They stay popular because they cost less and hold up well to cold, snow, and the freeze-thaw cycle.

Weather drives roofing demand in Niagara. St. Catharines gets about 137 cm of snow a year across roughly 43 snowy days, based on Environment Canada climate records. Snow load, ice dams, and the freeze-thaw cycle wear roofs down and push most repair work into spring and fall.

Severe weather is getting more expensive. Insured damage across Canada hit a record 8.55 billion dollars in 2024, the most ever and nearly triple the 2023 total. Since 2019, home property claims are up 115 percent and the cost to repair or replace property is up 485 percent, which feeds into the premiums Niagara homeowners pay.

Building stayed busy in Niagara even as other parts of Ontario slowed down. St. Catharines approved a record 1,025 new homes in 2025, and area housing starts rose 17 percent early in the year. Across Canada, builders started 259,028 homes in 2025, up 5.6 percent from the year before.

Your roof does more than keep rain out. Natural Resources Canada estimates up to 25 percent of a home's heat can escape through the roof and attic. It recommends R-50 to R-60 attic insulation for Ontario, and a roof replacement is the best time to fix venting and top up insulation.

How long a roof lasts depends on the material. Basic asphalt shingles last about 15 to 25 years, architectural shingles 25 to 35, and metal roofs 40 to 70. Flat membrane roofs usually last 20 to 30 years. Cold, snowy climates like Niagara's tend to sit at the lower end of each range.