Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity Salary: $67,051 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 148,980 bus drivers, transit and intercity nationally earn a mean of $67,051. Employment in the series shown fell about 35% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.9% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity: what the data shows
Common questions about bus drivers, transit and intercity careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a bus drivers, transit and intercity?
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-3052.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 148,980 workers.
What does a bus drivers, transit and intercity 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, transit and intercity make?
BLS national median annual wage: $57,440 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $67,051 — 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 | $48,726 |
| 25th percentile | $54,555 |
| Median (50th) | $63,948 |
| 75th percentile | $81,371 |
| 90th percentile | $91,348 |
What education do you need?
For Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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, transit and intercity in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.9% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -17.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -32.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 148,980.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do bus drivers, transit and intercitys work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 148,980 | 17.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 90,130 | 10.8% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 89,590 | 10.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 89,590 | 10.7% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 82,390 | 9.9% |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 82,210 | 9.8% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity workforce.
Employment Over Time
148,980 Workforce in 2023
The Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$67,051 Average Wage
In 2023, Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity earned an average of $67,051.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Salary distribution for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Employment Growth Projections
-3.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
72,103 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -17.9%
59,172 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -32.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Wage Trends by Industry
-3.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
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:
- CA: 23,500 employees, $65,460 avg wage
- NY: 16,550 employees, $71,880 avg wage
- TX: 9,510 employees, $48,510 avg wage
- FL: 7,620 employees, $48,880 avg wage
- IL: 7,580 employees, $67,770 avg wage
- WA: 7,100 employees, $71,670 avg wage
- NJ: 5,850 employees, $61,350 avg wage
- MD: 4,680 employees, $67,560 avg wage
- PA: 4,300 employees, $51,810 avg wage
- VA: 4,040 employees, $52,920 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 19,130 employees, $71,410 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 9,800 employees, $65,560 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 6,230 employees, $71,000 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 5,410 employees, $73,830 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 4,520 employees, $77,240 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,440 employees, $66,080 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 3,240 employees, $48,830 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 3,150 employees, $65,830 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,390 employees, $50,460 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,320 employees, $50,910 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Diversity
Demographic information on Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity in 2023 was 148,980 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
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, Transit and Intercity.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity workers.
Education level distribution for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Skills
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Time Management, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity include Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Law and Government.
Knowledge areas required for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity include Far Vision, Control Precision, Depth Perception, Multilimb Coordination, Spatial Orientation.
Required abilities for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.
Daily Activities
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity 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, Transit and Intercity.
About
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
The average yearly wage for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity was $67,051 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-3052 - Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity reports an average salary of $67,051.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 148,980 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -3.9%, 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.