Bus Drivers, School pay in the U.S.
$48,430avg. a year
$23.28 an hour · 402,930 employed
Bus Drivers, School in the U.S. earn an average of $48,430 a year and a median of $47,920. Pay is highest in Washington ($62,940) and lowest in Alabama ($19,190).
$47,920Median pay
$23.28Average hourly
+25%Avg. pay since 2021
402,930Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for bus drivers, school
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
19,660 jobs
Washington
$62,940
$30.26 an hour
29,330 jobs
Massachusetts
$61,210
$29.43 an hour
316,600 jobs
California
$60,520
$29.10 an hour
413,670 jobs
New Jersey
$58,470
$28.11 an hour
5630 jobs
Hawaii
$57,920
$27.85 an hour
638,320 jobs
New York
$57,140
$27.47 an hour
71,530 jobs
North Dakota
$56,990
$27.40 an hour
81,800 jobs
Rhode Island
$56,620
$27.22 an hour
97,970 jobs
Connecticut
$56,240
$27.04 an hour
105,210 jobs
Oregon
$55,260
$26.57 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Bus Drivers, School pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $44k$44k–$47k$47k–$54k$54k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $70,900 | $34.09 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $69,190 | $33.26 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $68,110 | $32.74 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $67,350 | $32.38 |
| Bellingham, WA | $66,960 | $32.19 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $65,770 | $31.62 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $64,320 | $30.92 |
| Boulder, CO | $62,020 | $29.82 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Bus Drivers, School pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $19,190 | $17,630 | 10,410 |
| Alaska | $51,820 | $54,200 | 790 |
| Arizona | $45,390 | $46,050 | 5,020 |
| Arkansas | $44,410 | $45,500 | 4,340 |
| California | $60,520 | $61,040 | 16,600 |
| Colorado | $54,770 | $52,620 | 3,840 |
| Connecticut | $56,240 | $61,520 | 7,970 |
| Delaware | $45,180 | $42,390 | 1,350 |
| District of Columbia | $54,630 | $55,450 | 510 |
| Florida | $44,120 | $44,690 | 13,470 |
| Georgia | $41,410 | $44,950 | 16,880 |
| Hawaii | $57,920 | $59,090 | 630 |
| Idaho | $45,730 | $46,250 | 2,960 |
| Illinois | $51,410 | $49,090 | 21,230 |
| Indiana | $46,460 | $48,020 | 11,780 |
| Iowa | $47,980 | $46,320 | 4,840 |
| Kansas | $45,350 | $45,860 | 4,830 |
| Kentucky | $46,600 | $44,830 | 6,820 |
| Louisiana | $34,270 | $29,450 | 6,670 |
| Maine | $48,690 | $48,640 | 1,670 |
| Maryland | $54,000 | $56,450 | 9,020 |
| Massachusetts | $61,210 | $65,170 | 9,330 |
| Michigan | $46,100 | $46,380 | 8,780 |
| Minnesota | $49,310 | $48,940 | 13,110 |
| Mississippi | $32,770 | $30,640 | 3,790 |
| Missouri | $47,020 | $46,880 | 8,970 |
| Montana | $46,780 | $46,220 | 1,630 |
| Nebraska | $48,920 | $47,760 | 2,330 |
| Nevada | $41,440 | $37,280 | 2,590 |
| New Hampshire | $50,750 | $50,990 | 2,040 |
| New Jersey | $58,470 | $59,430 | 13,670 |
| New Mexico | $46,790 | $45,470 | 1,870 |
| New York | $57,140 | $56,640 | 38,320 |
| North Carolina | $39,250 | $37,460 | 12,390 |
| North Dakota | $56,990 | $50,790 | 1,530 |
| Ohio | $45,500 | $45,860 | 5,540 |
| Oklahoma | $36,840 | $36,920 | 3,710 |
| Oregon | $55,260 | $51,270 | 5,210 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,170 | $47,530 | 23,670 |
| Rhode Island | $56,620 | $58,700 | 1,800 |
| South Carolina | $39,640 | $39,900 | 5,900 |
| South Dakota | $41,380 | $39,730 | 1,290 |
| Tennessee | $43,400 | $44,510 | 7,050 |
| Texas | $43,540 | $44,490 | 37,550 |
| Utah | $53,430 | $52,890 | 1,920 |
| Vermont | $52,470 | $56,580 | 860 |
| Virginia | $53,390 | $50,190 | 12,930 |
| Washington | $62,940 | $63,370 | 9,660 |
| West Virginia | $33,390 | $33,360 | 4,690 |
| Wisconsin | $51,040 | $47,760 | 7,840 |
| Wyoming | $45,970 | $45,520 | 1,360 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$60,110
29,280 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$52,260
15,210 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$43,970
11,190 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$43,680
9,730 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$45,760
9,030 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$52,890
8,980 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$56,650
8,620 jobs$51,170
8,070 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do bus drivers, school make?
The average is $48,430 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $47,920 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $23.28, and the median is $23.04 an hour.
Which state pays bus drivers, school the most?
Washington, with an average of $62,940 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $70,900.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $29,240 a year, and the top 10% earn over $65,730.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 53-3051. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.