Transit and Intercity Bus Driver Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for transit and intercity bus drivers in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of transit and intercity 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 Transit and Intercity Bus Drivers in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$28,650
25th Percentile Wage
$37,520
50th Percentile Wage
$50,760
75th Percentile Wage
$60,940
90th Percentile Wage
$69,420

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for transit and intercity 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 $69,420. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $50,760. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $28,650.

Median salary trend

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of transit and intercity bus drivers from 2012 to 2018.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$50,760
13.42% 16.98%
2017
$43,950
3.03% -
2016
$42,620
5.09% -
2015
$40,450
-0.87% -
2014
$40,800
3.11% -
2013
$39,530
-6.60% -
2012
$42,140
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Transit and Intercity Bus Drivers in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of transit and intercity bus drivers in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of transit and intercity bus drivers in state of California ranges from $22,570 to $67,850. The highest paying area for transit and intercity bus drivers in California is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara with a median annual salary of $67,850. The second highest paying city/area in California State is Santa Cruz-Watsonville (mean annual salary $63,840). The lowest paying area is Napa with a median annual salary of $22,570.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$67,850
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$63,840
Salinas
$59,200
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$57,940
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$54,260
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$51,490
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$51,480
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$50,780
Fresno
$48,040
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$47,150
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$47,070
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$47,050
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$46,570
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$45,760
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$42,900
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$42,800
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$40,770
Stockton
$40,060
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$39,720
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$39,480
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$38,540
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$38,380
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$38,160
Bakersfield-Delano
$36,330
Modesto
$33,070
Vallejo-Fairfield
$32,320
Madera-Chowchilla
$30,750
Chico
$30,330
El Centro
$29,230
Visalia-Porterville
$29,160
Redding
$23,480
Napa
$22,570