Bus Driver Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of bus drivers are shown in Table 1. The average hourly salary of bus drivers in the United States is shown in Table 2. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of bus drivers within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The bus drivers annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1. Bus Driver Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$19,730
25th Percentile Wage
$26,320
50th Percentile Wage
$34,450
75th Percentile Wage
$44,360
90th Percentile Wage
$55,990

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for bus drivers. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) bus drivers is $55,990. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $34,450. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $19,730. Note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 183% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend

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

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth6-Year Growth
2018
$34,450
4.18% 14.22%
2017
$33,010
3.30% -
2016
$31,920
3.04% -
2015
$30,950
2.36% -
2014
$30,220
1.79% -
2013
$29,680
0.44% -
2012
$29,550
- -

Table 2. Bus Driver Salary by Industry Sector (2022 survey)

The average salaries of bus drivers in 16 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for bus drivers occupations is the construction sector with an annual salary $55,500. The lowest paying sector is the accommodation and food services sector (annual salary $25,640).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Construction
$55,500
Federal, State, and Local Government
$44,210
Manufacturing
$41,840
Mining
$38,800
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
$37,480
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$36,820
Transportation and Warehousing
$34,560
Wholesale Trade
$31,920
Retail Trade
$31,800
Educational Services
$31,400
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$31,010
Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)
$29,770
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$28,740
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$27,130
Health Care and Social Assistance
$26,620
Accommodation and Food Services
$25,640

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💰 Highest paying industries for bus drivers.