School Bus Monitors earn a median of $35,100 per year ($16.88/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 1.9% through 2035, with about 13,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 33-9094
- Protective Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
School Bus Monitor in four numbers
- Median pay
- $35,100a year, or $16.88/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $28KTop 10% $43K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -1.9%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−1.9%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −1.9% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 13,40076,700 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202576.7K
- Projected 203575.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 76.7K Projected 2035 75.3K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Bus Aide, Bus Assistant, Bus Attendant, Bus Monitor, Bus Paraeducator, School Bus Aide.
Pay
How much do School Bus Monitors make?
Every school bus monitor in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$35,100
Middle half earn $31,760 to $37,760
- 10th
- $28,130
- 25th
- $31,760
- 75th
- $37,760
- 90th
- $43,250
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $28,130 |
| 25th | $31,760 |
| Median | $35,100 |
| 75th | $37,760 |
| 90th | $43,250 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $35,100
- Median hourly wage
- $16.88/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $35,150
- People employed
- 78,420
Versus all US occupations
At $35,100, School Bus Monitors earn 31% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $15,880 a year.
Versus protective service occupations
Inside the Protective Service group, where the middle occupation pays $74,060, this is 53% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $43,250 or more while the bottom 10% earn $28,130, a gap of 1.5×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 1% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($42,330), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $43,256 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay School Bus Monitors the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $42,330 | $39,556 | 470 |
| 2District of Columbia | $41,720 | $37,961 | N/A |
| 3Oregon | $40,900 | $39,570 | 380 |
| 4Hawaii | $40,250 | $36,607 | 220 |
| 5Vermont | $39,020 | $39,833 | 70 |
| 6Maryland | $38,750 | $36,919 | 2,370 |
| 7Minnesota | $38,590 | $39,130 | 790 |
| 8North Dakota | $38,480 | $43,256 | 120 |
| 9California | $38,360 | $34,646 | 1,260 |
| 10Maine | $38,060 | $39,217 | 160 |
Job outlook
Is School Bus Monitor a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -1.9% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| School Bus Monitors | −1.9% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of School Bus Monitors to change -1.9% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 1,400 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 13,400 openings are projected each year, 17.5% of the 76,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a School Bus Monitor
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a School Bus Monitor do?
Maintain order among students on a school bus. Duties include helping students safely board and exit and communicating behavioral problems. May perform pretrip and posttrip inspections and prepare for and assist in emergency evacuations.
Day-to-day tasks
- Monitor the conduct of students to maintain discipline and safety.
- Direct students boarding and exiting the school bus.
- Respond to students' questions, requests, or complaints.
- Prevent or defuse altercations between students.
- Assist children with disabilities or children with psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues with boarding and exiting the school bus.
- Talk to children's parents or guardians about problematic behaviors, emotional or developmental problems, or related issues.
- Clean school bus interiors by picking up waste, wiping down windows, or vacuuming.
- Buckle seatbelts or fasten wheelchair tie-down straps to secure passengers for transportation.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayRarely works in a climate-controlled indoor space.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Monitoring3.8
- Speaking3.3
- Active Listening3.0
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Writing2.8
- Active Learning2.1
- Learning Strategies2.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.3 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.8 |
| Writing | 2.8 |
| Active Learning | 2.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Service Orientation3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Persuasion2.8
- Negotiation2.5
- Time Management2.4
- Complex Problem Solving2.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
| Persuasion | 2.8 |
| Negotiation | 2.5 |
| Time Management | 2.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Operating system software · in demand
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a School Bus Monitor?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | School Bus Monitor |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Social5.3
- Conventional4.8
- Realistic3.4
- Enterprising1.9
- Artistic1.7
- Investigative1.5
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to School Bus Monitor
O*NET related occupations
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Transportation and Material Moving
More protective service careers
Median annual pay, with school bus monitors highlighted
- Detective and Criminal Investigator$93,790
- Intelligence Analyst$93,790
- Police Officer$76,210
- Custom and Border Protection Officer$76,210
- Firefighter$59,280
- Correctional Officer and Jailer$58,940
- Private Detective and Investigator$51,220
- Security Guard$38,020
- School Bus Monitor$35,100
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Detective and Criminal Investigator | $93,790 |
| Intelligence Analyst | $93,790 |
| Police Officer | $76,210 |
| Custom and Border Protection Officer | $76,210 |
| Firefighter | $59,280 |
| Correctional Officer and Jailer | $58,940 |
| Private Detective and Investigator | $51,220 |
| Security Guard | $38,020 |
| School Bus Monitor | $35,100 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists School Bus Monitor appears on
Questions
School Bus Monitor: frequently asked questions
How much do School Bus Monitors make?
School Bus Monitors earn a median of $35,100 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 31% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $16.88/hr. The middle half earn between $31,760 and $37,760. The top 10% earn $43,250 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a School Bus Monitor?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for School Bus Monitors. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.
Is School Bus Monitor a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 1.9% over 2025–2035, a loss of 1,400 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 13,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a School Bus Monitor do?
Maintain order among students on a school bus. A core O*NET task: monitor the conduct of students to maintain discipline and safety. Employers most often ask for Operating system software.
Which states pay School Bus Monitors the most?
The highest state medians for School Bus Monitors are Washington ($42,330), District of Columbia ($41,720), Oregon ($40,900) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $43,256.
What personality type suits a School Bus Monitor?
O*NET scores School Bus Monitors highest on the Social, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISFJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.