Roofing workers' comp costs ~108× a desk job — Colorado's 2026 filing

The single biggest driver of a workers'-comp premium is the NCCI class code, and the spread is enormous. In Colorado's 2026 NCCI advisory-loss-cost filing, roofing (class 5551) is $5.40 per $100 of payroll while clerical office work (class 8810) is $0.05 — about a 108× difference for the same coverage. Carriers then apply their own loss-cost multiplier, and administered states run higher (New Jersey's 2026 roofing rate reaches $25.33/$100). The takeaway: your class code, not your carrier, is the first thing that sets your WC cost.

Advisory loss costs are from the NCCI 2026 filing approved for Colorado (Colorado DOI). An advisory loss cost is the pre-multiplier rate per $100 of payroll; each carrier applies its own loss-cost multiplier on top. Administered-rate states (e.g. New Jersey) publish final manual rates on a different basis that isn't directly comparable to advisory loss costs.

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