Bus Driver of School Salary in U.S.

The salary statistics of school bus drivers are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of school bus drivers within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The school 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 of School Salary in U.S. (2022 survey)

Percentile BracketAverage Annual Salary
10th Percentile Wage
$25,390
25th Percentile Wage
$33,850
50th Percentile Wage
$41,270
75th Percentile Wage
$49,210
90th Percentile Wage
$58,390

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for school bus drivers. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) school bus drivers is $58,390. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $41,270. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $25,390. It is noted that in the United States, the annual salary of the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is almost 129% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of school bus drivers from 2012 to 2022. Note that there is no salary data for some years between 2012 and 2022.

YearMedian Salary Growth1-Year Growth
2022
$41,270
8.14% 8.14%
2021
$37,910
- -

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

The average salaries of school bus drivers in 11 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 school bus drivers occupations is the federal, state, and local government sector with an annual salary $45,840. The lowest paying sector is the management of companies and enterprises sector (annual salary $22,800).

Industry Sector Median Annual Salary
Federal, State, and Local Government
$45,840
Transportation and Warehousing
$45,410
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services
$40,490
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$40,160
Retail Trade
$40,070
Educational Services
$39,230
Wholesale Trade
$38,840
Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local Government)
$38,810
Health Care and Social Assistance
$30,750
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
$30,560
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$22,800

Table 3. Median Annual Wage of School Bus Drivers by States (2022 survey)

From the above tables we note that not only school bus drivers salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of school bus drivers in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $18,110 to $54,400. The highest paying state for school bus drivers is Hawaii with a median annual salary of $54,400. The lowest paying state is Alabama with a median annual salary of $18,110. For more salary information of school bus drivers profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.

State Name Median Annual Salary
Hawaii
$54,400
Washington
$54,180
District of Columbia
$52,390
North Dakota
$50,800
New York
$49,980
California
$49,820
Massachusetts
$49,350
Connecticut
$49,260
Alaska
$46,840
Utah
$46,700
Illinois
$46,470
Maryland
$46,460
Vermont
$46,320
Rhode Island
$46,320
New Jersey
$46,300
Iowa
$45,480
Maine
$45,090
Colorado
$44,800
Minnesota
$44,630
Kansas
$44,610
Nebraska
$44,360
Oregon
$44,080
Virginia
$41,600
Nevada
$41,540
New Hampshire
$40,450
Delaware
$40,070
Michigan
$40,030
Indiana
$40,000
New Mexico
$39,810
Ohio
$39,760
Texas
$39,720
Wyoming
$39,000
Georgia
$38,420
Missouri
$38,330
Wisconsin
$38,210
Pennsylvania
$38,210
Arizona
$38,190
Kentucky
$38,100
Montana
$37,230
Idaho
$36,790
Virgin Islands
$36,610
Arkansas
$36,300
South Dakota
$36,300
Florida
$35,380
Louisiana
$35,010
Guam
$34,200
North Carolina
$33,060
Tennessee
$32,590
Oklahoma
$31,580
South Carolina
$31,380
Mississippi
$29,160
West Virginia
$27,820
Puerto Rico
$22,020
Alabama
$18,110

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