Bus Drivers, School Salary: $47,040 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 387,920 bus drivers, school work nationally, and $47,040 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 14% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.0% annual growth.
Bus Drivers, School: what the data shows
Common questions about bus drivers, school careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a bus drivers, school?
Bus Drivers, School is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-3051.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 387,920 workers.
What does a bus drivers, school do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a bus drivers, school make?
BLS national median annual wage: $47,040 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $58,918 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,999 |
| 25th percentile | $51,492 |
| Median (50th) | $59,697 |
| 75th percentile | $64,368 |
| 90th percentile | $73,648 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, Active Listening, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is bus drivers, school in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 16.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 34.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 387,920.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do bus drivers, schools work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 402,230 | 15.7% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 397,210 | 15.5% |
| Cross-industry | 387,920 | 15.1% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 229,710 | 8.9% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 228,530 | 8.9% |
| Educational Services | 201,110 | 7.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Bus Drivers, School in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Bus Drivers, School workforce.
Employment Over Time
387,920 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Bus Drivers, School grew from 51,660 in 2022 to 56,500 in 2025 (9.4%).
Historical employment for Bus Drivers, School from the California OEWS series, 2022–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$47,040 Median pay (BLS national)
Bus Drivers, School earn $47,040 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Bus Drivers, School.
Salary distribution for Bus Drivers, School.
Employment Growth Projections
3.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
65,595 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 16.1%
76,154 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 34.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Bus Drivers, School.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Bus Drivers, School and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Bus Drivers, School employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Bus Drivers, School.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Bus Drivers, School.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Bus Drivers, School.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 37,520 employees, $56,330 avg wage
- TX: 34,320 employees, $42,710 avg wage
- PA: 23,580 employees, $44,310 avg wage
- IL: 20,060 employees, $49,070 avg wage
- GA: 16,350 employees, $38,430 avg wage
- CA: 14,580 employees, $57,520 avg wage
- VA: 13,530 employees, $50,240 avg wage
- FL: 12,730 employees, $40,800 avg wage
- NJ: 12,200 employees, $56,710 avg wage
- NC: 11,960 employees, $37,440 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Bus Drivers, School.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 27,980 employees, $59,010 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 13,910 employees, $50,470 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 9,810 employees, $38,920 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 8,850 employees, $49,360 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 8,700 employees, $42,420 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 8,500 employees, $45,570 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 8,420 employees, $53,440 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 7,270 employees, $58,180 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 6,320 employees, $52,170 avg wage
- Pittsburgh, PA: 5,550 employees, $42,030 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Bus Drivers, School.
Diversity
Demographic information on Bus Drivers, School in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Bus Drivers, School is about 387,920 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Bus Drivers, School.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Bus Drivers, School.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Bus Drivers, School.
Majors
O*NET-related majors commonly linked to Bus Drivers, School include Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Bus Drivers, School.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Bus Drivers, School workers.
Education level distribution for Bus Drivers, School.
Skills
Bus Drivers, School need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Bus Drivers, School.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Bus Drivers, School.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Bus Drivers, School include Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Law and Government.
Knowledge areas required for Bus Drivers, School.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Bus Drivers, School include Far Vision, Control Precision, Depth Perception, Multilimb Coordination, Spatial Orientation.
Required abilities for Bus Drivers, School.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Bus Drivers, School.
Daily Activities
Bus Drivers, School spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Bus Drivers, School.
About
Bus Drivers, School
Bus Drivers, School earn $47,040 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
53-3051 - Bus Drivers, School
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Bus Drivers, School reports an average salary of $58,918.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 387,920 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.