Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of school bus driver salary by state for the United States:
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Massachusetts has the highest school bus driver salary of $46,831
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Florida has the lowest school bus driver salary of $31,014
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The national average salary for school bus drivers is $37,607
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The national hourly pay for school bus drivers is $18.08
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Surveys consistently show that salary is a top concern for job seekers, and for many, the pivotal question is: how much do school bus drivers earn in their area?
While individual salaries can vary based on factors such as experience and location, there is robust data available on average salaries for school bus drivers by state. Although your specific city might have different figures, these averages provide a good starting point for understanding potential earnings in your region.
The state with the highest average salary for school bus drivers? It’s Massachusetts.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for school bus driver salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid School Bus Drivers By State
| Rank | State | Average School Bus Driver Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $46,831 | $39,000 | $54,000 |
| 2 | Washington | $43,859 | $37,000 | $50,000 |
| 3 | Alaska | $43,157 | $39,000 | $46,000 |
| 4 | Maine | $42,259 | $36,000 | $48,000 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $42,017 | $36,000 | $48,000 |
| 6 | Vermont | $41,456 | $36,000 | $47,000 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $41,064 | $34,000 | $48,000 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $40,300 | $33,000 | $48,000 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $40,214 | $34,000 | $46,000 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $40,021 | $33,000 | $47,000 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $39,976 | $32,000 | $49,000 |
| 12 | Oregon | $39,467 | $33,000 | $46,000 |
| 13 | New York | $39,312 | $32,000 | $47,000 |
| 14 | California | $38,877 | $31,000 | $47,000 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $38,734 | $31,000 | $47,000 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $38,509 | $32,000 | $45,000 |
| 17 | Maryland | $38,495 | $31,000 | $47,000 |
| 18 | Indiana | $38,300 | $31,000 | $46,000 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $37,684 | $31,000 | $45,000 |
| 20 | Hawaii | $37,050 | $32,000 | $42,000 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $36,926 | $29,000 | $46,000 |
| 22 | Texas | $36,602 | $29,000 | $45,000 |
| 23 | Ohio | $36,426 | $29,000 | $44,000 |
| 24 | Montana | $36,384 | $31,000 | $42,000 |
| 25 | Iowa | $36,115 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $36,058 | $30,000 | $42,000 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $35,912 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 28 | Arizona | $35,892 | $29,000 | $44,000 |
| 29 | Utah | $35,775 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 30 | Missouri | $35,763 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 31 | Michigan | $35,727 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $35,717 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 33 | Illinois | $35,716 | $29,000 | $43,000 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $35,440 | $28,000 | $43,000 |
| 35 | Virginia | $35,399 | $28,000 | $43,000 |
| 36 | Idaho | $35,384 | $29,000 | $42,000 |
| 37 | Nevada | $35,329 | $28,000 | $43,000 |
| 38 | Alabama | $35,092 | $28,000 | $43,000 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $35,006 | $28,000 | $42,000 |
| 40 | Kansas | $34,887 | $28,000 | $42,000 |
| 41 | Colorado | $34,479 | $28,000 | $41,000 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $34,314 | $27,000 | $42,000 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $34,288 | $27,000 | $42,000 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $33,243 | $26,000 | $41,000 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $33,145 | $26,000 | $40,000 |
| 46 | Delaware | $32,864 | $26,000 | $40,000 |
| 47 | Georgia | $32,699 | $26,000 | $40,000 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $32,693 | $26,000 | $40,000 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $32,534 | $25,000 | $40,000 |
| 50 | Florida | $31,014 | $24,000 | $39,000 |
Methodology: School Bus Driver Salary By State
To better understand school bus driver pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across various channels, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We supplement this data with actual listed salaries from job postings. The data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for school bus drivers by state.
We took the average annual salary data for school bus drivers from these estimates and ranked every state based on this criterion, with the state having the highest salary ranking as the highest average salary for school bus drivers.
School Bus Driver Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for school bus drivers?
The highest-paid state for school bus drivers is Massachusetts with an average salary of $46,831 per year.
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What city pays school bus drivers the most?
Springfield, MA pays school bus drivers the most with an average salary of $46,465 per year.
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What is the worst state for school bus drivers?
The worst state for school bus drivers is Florida with an average salary of $31,014 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
