Pay by state · 54 states
Bus Driver, School Salary by State (2026)
Bus Drivers, School earn the most in Massachusetts at $65,170 a year and the least in Alabama at $17,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $47,920. All 54 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $65,170Massachusetts
- National median
- $47,920BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $17,630Alabama
- States reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Bus Driver, School salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of bus drivers, school OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAMassachusetts | $65,170 | $54,780 | $69,320 | 9,330 | $61,622 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $63,370 | $56,640 | $70,890 | 9,660 | $59,217 |
| 3 | CTConnecticut | $61,520 | $47,490 | $63,110 | 7,970 | $59,377 |
| 4 | CACalifornia | $61,040 | $51,110 | $70,570 | 16,600 | $55,130 |
| 5 | NJNew Jersey | $59,430 | $51,160 | $65,240 | 13,670 | $54,621 |
| 6 | HIHawaii | $59,090 | $48,490 | $64,480 | 630 | $53,742 |
| 7 | RIRhode Island | $58,700 | $48,640 | $62,010 | 1,800 | $57,391 |
| 8 | NYNew York | $56,640 | $49,320 | $62,550 | 38,320 | $52,483 |
| 9 | VTVermont | $56,580 | $46,660 | $57,560 | 860 | $57,759 |
| 10 | MDMaryland | $56,450 | $47,190 | $60,610 | 9,020 | $53,783 |
| 11 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $55,450 | $53,510 | $55,470 | 510 | $50,454 |
| 12 | AKAlaska | $54,200 | $47,430 | $54,750 | 790 | $52,951 |
| 13 | UTUtah | $52,890 | $48,950 | $61,250 | 1,920 | $53,498 |
| 14 | COColorado | $52,620 | $47,120 | $60,950 | 3,840 | $51,062 |
| 15 | OROregon | $51,270 | $48,350 | $61,840 | 5,210 | $49,603 |
| 16 | NHNew Hampshire | $50,990 | $48,470 | $57,870 | 2,040 | $48,951 |
| 17 | NDNorth Dakota | $50,790 | $46,840 | $62,610 | 1,530 | $57,094 |
| 18 | VAVirginia | $50,190 | $46,340 | $59,700 | 12,930 | $49,642 |
| 19 | ILIllinois | $49,090 | $46,470 | $59,110 | 21,230 | $49,111 |
| 20 | MNMinnesota | $48,940 | $38,800 | $55,930 | 13,110 | $49,624 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $48,640 | $42,450 | $52,660 | 1,670 | $50,118 |
| 22 | INIndiana | $48,020 | $36,270 | $56,470 | 11,780 | $51,452 |
| 23 | NENebraska | $47,760 | $39,550 | $56,370 | 2,330 | $53,006 |
| 24 | WIWisconsin | $47,760 | $45,950 | $55,010 | 7,840 | $50,757 |
| 25 | PAPennsylvania | $47,530 | $39,630 | $55,630 | 23,670 | $48,713 |
| 26 | MOMissouri | $46,880 | $39,430 | $51,220 | 8,970 | $51,620 |
| 27 | MIMichigan | $46,380 | $42,100 | $48,630 | 8,780 | $48,204 |
| 28 | IAIowa | $46,320 | $39,330 | $56,070 | 4,840 | $52,779 |
| 29 | IDIdaho | $46,250 | $41,110 | $48,670 | 2,960 | $48,432 |
| 30 | MTMontana | $46,220 | $39,840 | $48,620 | 1,630 | $48,835 |
| 31 | AZArizona | $46,050 | $40,380 | $48,100 | 5,020 | $45,740 |
| 32 | KSKansas | $45,860 | $37,860 | $48,370 | 4,830 | $50,917 |
| 33 | OHOhio | $45,860 | $35,160 | $47,670 | 5,540 | $49,432 |
| 34 | WYWyoming | $45,520 | $41,980 | $48,220 | 1,360 | $49,109 |
| 35 | ARArkansas | $45,500 | $29,980 | $54,170 | 4,340 | $52,337 |
| 36 | NMNew Mexico | $45,470 | $37,990 | $56,170 | 1,870 | $49,310 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $44,950 | $27,570 | $50,490 | 16,880 | $46,680 |
| 38 | KYKentucky | $44,830 | $38,530 | $48,310 | 6,820 | $49,723 |
| 39 | FLFlorida | $44,690 | $38,600 | $47,900 | 13,470 | $43,215 |
| 40 | TNTennessee | $44,510 | $27,650 | $51,150 | 7,050 | $48,449 |
| 41 | TXTexas | $44,490 | $31,330 | $49,030 | 37,550 | $45,839 |
| 42 | DEDelaware | $42,390 | $37,890 | $48,480 | 1,350 | $42,472 |
| 43 | GUGuam | $41,720 | $35,040 | $44,410 | 110 | N/A |
| 44 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $40,120 | $38,390 | $50,860 | 50 | N/A |
| 45 | SCSouth Carolina | $39,900 | $30,070 | $46,700 | 5,900 | $42,560 |
| 46 | SDSouth Dakota | $39,730 | $36,980 | $46,340 | 1,290 | $44,849 |
| 47 | NCNorth Carolina | $37,460 | $35,370 | $44,480 | 12,390 | $39,713 |
| 48 | NVNevada | $37,280 | $37,280 | $46,110 | 2,590 | $37,288 |
| 49 | OKOklahoma | $36,920 | $30,510 | $44,240 | 3,710 | $42,030 |
| 50 | WVWest Virginia | $33,360 | $30,760 | $35,290 | 4,690 | $37,275 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $30,640 | $22,350 | $39,320 | 3,790 | $35,237 |
| 52 | LALouisiana | $29,450 | $23,110 | $46,210 | 6,670 | $33,387 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $27,950 | $22,910 | $30,960 | 1,280 | N/A |
| 54 | ALAlabama | $17,630 | $17,040 | $18,750 | 10,410 | $19,848 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Bus Drivers, School, that changes the ranking: Massachusetts leads on raw pay at $65,170, while Massachusetts leads once prices are taken into account at $61,622.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Bus Driver, School pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Bus Drivers, School the most?
Massachusetts reports the highest median wage for Bus Drivers, School at $65,170 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($63,370) and Connecticut ($61,520).
Which state pays Bus Drivers, School the least?
Alabama reports the lowest median for Bus Drivers, School at $17,630 a year, $47,540 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Bus Drivers, School earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Massachusetts first at $61,622 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $65,170. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.