Best states for a bus driver

Q: What is the best state for bus drivers?

The best state to be a bus driver is Wyoming based on bus driver salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for bus drivers?

The highest paying state for bus drivers is Tennessee based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for bus drivers?

The worst state for bus drivers is Florida, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you thinking of becoming a bus driver and really want to work at First Student? Turns out, your chances to become a bus driver are better in some states than others.Although there are abundant bus driver jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Wyoming is the best state in the country for bus driver jobs.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for bus drivers. Wyoming is the best state for bus drivers, where the median salary is $39,205.We found that Wyoming is the best state for bus driver jobs, whereas Florida is the worst.

10 best states for bus drivers in 2025

1. Wyoming
Total bus driver jobs: 495
Average annual salary: $39,205
Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Bus driver jobs in Wyoming
2. Vermont
Total bus driver jobs: 473
Average annual salary: $42,296
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Bus driver jobs in Vermont
3. Wisconsin
Total bus driver jobs: 4,786
Average annual salary: $38,865
Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Bus driver jobs in Wisconsin
4. Pennsylvania
Total bus driver jobs: 11,121
Average annual salary: $38,108
Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Bus driver jobs in Pennsylvania
5. Connecticut
Total bus driver jobs: 1,670
Average annual salary: $43,027
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Location Quotient:
0.57
Bus driver jobs in Connecticut
6. New Hampshire
Total bus driver jobs: 716
Average annual salary: $41,665
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Location Quotient:
0.47
Bus driver jobs in New Hampshire
7. Massachusetts
Total bus driver jobs: 2,780
Average annual salary: $43,160
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $51,000
Location Quotient:
0.35
Bus driver jobs in Massachusetts
8. Washington
Total bus driver jobs: 2,999
Average annual salary: $42,308
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $50,000
Location Quotient:
0.47
Bus driver jobs in Washington
9. West Virginia
Total bus driver jobs: 3,070
Average annual salary: $34,844
Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Location Quotient:
2.3
Bus driver jobs in West Virginia
10. South Dakota
Total bus driver jobs: 1,231
Average annual salary: $35,868
Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Location Quotient:
1.31
Bus driver jobs in South Dakota

Bus driver jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a bus driver

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a bus driver

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Wyoming	$39,205	$32,000	579,315	495
2	Vermont	$42,296	$36,000	623,657	473
3	Wisconsin	$38,865	$31,000	5,795,483	4,786
4	Pennsylvania	$38,108	$30,000	12,805,537	11,121
5	Connecticut	$43,027	$35,000	3,588,184	1,670
6	New Hampshire	$41,665	$35,000	1,342,795	716
7	Massachusetts	$43,160	$36,000	6,859,819	2,780
8	Washington	$42,308	$35,000	7,405,743	2,999
9	West Virginia	$34,844	$27,000	1,815,857	3,070
10	South Dakota	$35,868	$29,000	869,666	1,231
11	North Dakota	$38,704	$32,000	755,393	379
12	New York	$39,144	$31,000	19,849,399	10,619
13	Ohio	$34,767	$28,000	11,658,609	16,314
14	Minnesota	$37,375	$31,000	5,576,606	4,699
15	Rhode Island	$38,068	$31,000	1,059,639	598
16	California	$39,594	$31,000	39,536,653	23,481
17	Idaho	$36,579	$30,000	1,716,943	1,197
18	Oregon	$38,113	$31,000	4,142,776	2,588
19	Iowa	$34,456	$28,000	3,145,711	4,800
20	Kentucky	$33,979	$27,000	4,454,189	6,128
21	Maine	$37,827	$32,000	1,335,907	620
22	Michigan	$35,733	$29,000	9,962,311	5,952
23	New Jersey	$38,851	$31,000	9,005,644	3,727
24	Alaska	$39,746	$36,000	739,795	144
25	Texas	$35,226	$27,000	28,304,596	21,456
26	Montana	$36,853	$30,000	1,050,493	663
27	Alabama	$33,454	$26,000	4,874,747	6,159
28	Kansas	$33,551	$27,000	2,913,123	4,589
29	Arizona	$35,704	$28,000	7,016,270	3,843
30	Colorado	$36,877	$30,000	5,607,154	3,183
31	Arkansas	$33,382	$26,000	3,004,279	3,371
32	Utah	$35,517	$28,000	3,101,833	1,666
33	Nevada	$34,916	$28,000	2,998,039	1,151
34	Maryland	$35,971	$28,000	6,052,177	5,061
35	Indiana	$32,937	$26,000	6,666,818	8,549
36	Delaware	$33,917	$27,000	961,939	1,379
37	South Carolina	$32,755	$25,000	5,024,369	6,058
38	Illinois	$33,909	$27,000	12,802,023	14,489
39	Virginia	$35,198	$27,000	8,470,020	7,308
40	Missouri	$33,039	$26,000	6,113,532	7,180
41	New Mexico	$33,418	$26,000	2,088,070	1,821
42	Oklahoma	$32,159	$25,000	3,930,864	4,198
43	Louisiana	$32,484	$25,000	4,684,333	3,984
44	District of Columbia	$37,550	$29,000	693,972	187
45	Mississippi	$30,845	$24,000	2,984,100	2,967
46	North Carolina	$32,238	$25,000	10,273,419	8,026
47	Hawaii	$35,663	$30,000	1,427,538	154
48	Georgia	$32,106	$25,000	10,429,379	8,337
49	Nebraska	$30,419	$24,000	1,920,076	2,430
50	Tennessee	$29,210	$23,000	6,715,984	6,363
51	Florida	$30,899	$23,000	20,984,400	5,217

Highest paying states for bus drivers

Rank	State	Avg. Bus Driver Salary
1	Wyoming	$39,205
2	Vermont	$42,296
3	Wisconsin	$38,865
4	Pennsylvania	$38,108
5	Connecticut	$43,027
6	New Hampshire	$41,665
7	Massachusetts	$43,160
8	Washington	$42,308
9	West Virginia	$34,844
10	South Dakota	$35,868
11	North Dakota	$38,704
12	New York	$39,144
13	Ohio	$34,767
14	Minnesota	$37,375
15	Rhode Island	$38,068
16	California	$39,594
17	Idaho	$36,579
18	Oregon	$38,113
19	Iowa	$34,456
20	Kentucky	$33,979
21	Maine	$37,827
22	Michigan	$35,733
23	New Jersey	$38,851
24	Alaska	$39,746
25	Texas	$35,226
26	Montana	$36,853
27	Alabama	$33,454
28	Kansas	$33,551
29	Arizona	$35,704
30	Colorado	$36,877
31	Arkansas	$33,382
32	Utah	$35,517
33	Nevada	$34,916
34	Maryland	$35,971
35	Indiana	$32,937
36	Delaware	$33,917
37	South Carolina	$32,755
38	Illinois	$33,909
39	Virginia	$35,198
40	Missouri	$33,039
41	New Mexico	$33,418
42	Oklahoma	$32,159
43	Louisiana	$32,484
44	District of Columbia	$37,550
45	Mississippi	$30,845
46	North Carolina	$32,238
47	Hawaii	$35,663
48	Georgia	$32,106
49	Nebraska	$30,419
50	Tennessee	$29,210
51	Florida	$30,899

Best states for a bus driver

10 best states for bus drivers in 2025

1. Wyoming

2. Vermont

3. Wisconsin

4. Pennsylvania

5. Connecticut

6. New Hampshire

7. Massachusetts

8. Washington

9. West Virginia

10. South Dakota

Bus driver jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a bus driver

Detailed list of the best states for a bus driver

Highest paying states for bus drivers

Bus driver best states FAQs

What is the best state for bus drivers?

What is the highest paying state for bus drivers?

What is the worst state for bus drivers?

Search for bus driver jobs

Total bus driver jobs:	495
Average annual salary:	$39,205
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$32,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$47,000
Location Quotient:	0.94