School or Special Client Bus Driver Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for school or special client bus drivers in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of school or special client bus drivers among California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of School or Special Client Bus Drivers in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$26,090
25th Percentile Wage
$30,810
50th Percentile Wage
$38,490
75th Percentile Wage
$46,380
90th Percentile Wage
$51,880

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for school or special client bus drivers in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $51,880. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $38,490. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $26,090.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of school or special client bus drivers from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$38,490
6.91% 14.99%
2017
$35,830
3.77% -
2016
$34,480
0.84% -
2015
$34,190
-1.08% -
2014
$34,560
2.34% -
2013
$33,750
3.05% -
2012
$32,720
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of School or Special Client Bus Drivers in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of school or special client bus drivers in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of school or special client bus drivers in state of California ranges from $26,310 to $52,130. The highest paying area for school or special client bus drivers in California is San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City with a median annual salary of $52,130. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area (mean annual salary $47,500). The lowest paying area is North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $26,310.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$52,130
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$47,500
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$45,380
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$44,770
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$43,080
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$42,860
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$41,660
Merced
$41,560
Stockton
$41,380
Napa
$41,320
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$40,950
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$39,610
Fresno
$39,390
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$38,730
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$38,680
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$38,080
Salinas
$37,670
Madera-Chowchilla
$36,690
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$36,660
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$36,470
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$36,310
Vallejo-Fairfield
$36,170
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$36,160
Redding
$36,150
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$36,050
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$36,010
Bakersfield-Delano
$34,920
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$34,010
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$32,970
Visalia-Porterville
$32,490
Yuba City
$32,460
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$31,760
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$31,730
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$31,520
El Centro
$31,380
Chico
$30,880
Hanford-Corcoran
$30,580
Modesto
$29,100
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$26,310