155 metro areas
School Bus Monitor Salary by City (2026)
School bus monitors earn the most in Seattle, WA, an average of $49,210 a year, against $35,150 nationally. After local prices, pay goes furthest in Rochester, MN ($46,240 in national-average dollars). Every metro area with its own BLS estimate is ranked below.
- US average (mean)
- $35,150BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Highest-paying city
- $49,210Seattle, WA
- Best after cost of living
- $46,240Rochester, MN
- Metro areas
- 155With their own estimate
Top cities
Highest-paying cities for school bus monitors
Top 10 metro areas
- Seattle, WA$49,210
- San Francisco, CA$44,050
- Portland, OR-WA$43,100
- Sacramento, CA$42,040
- Rochester, MN$42,000
- Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV$41,700
- Stockton, CA$41,500
- Eugene, OR$41,290
- Columbus, OH$41,040
- Kennewick, WA$40,910
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $49,210 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $44,050 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $43,100 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $42,040 |
| Rochester, MN | $42,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $41,700 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $41,500 |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | $41,290 |
| Columbus, OH | $41,040 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $40,910 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Mean wage ÷ BEA price level
- Rochester, MN$42,000 nominal$46,240
- Seattle, WA$49,210 nominal$44,280
- Columbus, OH$41,040 nominal$42,990
- Green Bay, WI$39,400 nominal$42,330
- Elmira, NY$39,170 nominal$41,490
- Rocky Mount, NC$36,380 nominal$41,340
- Provo, UT$40,460 nominal$41,190
- Portland, OR-WA$43,100 nominal$40,880
- Kennewick, WA$40,910 nominal$40,880
- Omaha, NE-IA$37,480 nominal$40,780
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Rochester, MN | $46,240 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $44,280 |
| Columbus, OH | $42,990 |
| Green Bay, WI | $42,330 |
| Elmira, NY | $41,490 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | $41,340 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $41,190 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $40,880 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $40,880 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | $40,780 |
Source: BLS OEWS 2025 · BEA RPP 2024
Every city
School Bus Monitor salary in every metro area
Mean annual wage, with the Department of Labor's entry (Level I) and experienced (Level IV) prevailing-wage benchmarks for the same metro, and the mean at national-average prices. Sorted by mean pay.
| # | Metro area | Mean | Entry (Level I) | Experienced (Level IV) | At US prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $49,210 | $39,830 | $53,830 | $44,280 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $44,050 | $41,330 | $45,390 | $38,100 |
| 3 | Portland, OR-WA | $43,100 | $37,190 | $46,010 | $40,880 |
| 4 | Sacramento, CA | $42,040 | $36,610 | $44,700 | $39,410 |
| 5 | Rochester, MN | $42,000 | $38,420 | $43,740 | $46,240 |
| 6 | Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV | $41,700 | $33,630 | $45,680 | $38,300 |
| 7 | Stockton, CA | $41,500 | $36,280 | $44,080 | $39,490 |
| 8 | Eugene, OR | $41,290 | $35,460 | $44,160 | $40,650 |
| 9 | Columbus, OH | $41,040 | $27,210 | $47,860 | $42,990 |
| 10 | Kennewick, WA | $40,910 | $38,520 | $42,080 | $40,880 |
| 11 | San Diego, CA | $40,620 | $37,190 | $42,310 | $36,300 |
| 12 | Olympia, WA | $40,580 | $35,880 | $42,890 | $39,140 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $40,540 | $36,650 | $42,430 | $40,190 |
| 14 | Provo, UT | $40,460 | $32,570 | $44,350 | $41,190 |
| 15 | Bakersfield, CA | $39,870 | $36,500 | $41,560 | $39,520 |
| 16 | Los Angeles, CA | $39,870 | $36,400 | $41,580 | $35,110 |
| 17 | Lexington Park, MD | $39,690 | $33,430 | $42,760 | $39,390 |
| 18 | Hartford, CT | $39,600 | $34,050 | $42,350 | $38,540 |
| 19 | Green Bay, WI | $39,400 | $35,820 | $41,160 | $42,330 |
| 20 | Baltimore, MD | $39,350 | $34,220 | $41,870 | $37,660 |
| 21 | Elmira, NY | $39,170 | $33,280 | $42,080 | $41,490 |
| 22 | Minneapolis, MN-WI | $39,120 | $35,550 | $40,890 | $37,320 |
| 23 | Barnstable Town, MA | $39,100 | $35,210 | $41,020 | $39,760 |
| 24 | Spokane, WA | $39,080 | $35,300 | $40,930 | $38,950 |
| 25 | Worcester, MA | $39,060 | $34,690 | $41,230 | $38,100 |
| 26 | Boston, MA-NH | $38,270 | $34,800 | $39,980 | $35,350 |
| 27 | Amherst Town, MA | $38,210 | $33,240 | $40,680 | $38,120 |
| 28 | Bangor, ME | $38,190 | $31,970 | $41,270 | $39,570 |
| 29 | New York, NY-NJ | $38,040 | $34,550 | $39,750 | $33,790 |
| 30 | Lewiston, ME | $37,980 | $32,660 | $40,600 | $40,090 |
| 31 | Kiryas Joel, NY | $37,880 | $33,880 | $39,850 | $34,620 |
| 32 | Omaha, NE-IA | $37,480 | $29,640 | $41,350 | $40,780 |
| 33 | New Haven, CT | $37,250 | $34,070 | $38,830 | $35,630 |
| 34 | Syracuse, NY | $37,170 | $33,360 | $39,040 | $38,820 |
| 35 | Riverside, CA | $37,090 | $35,380 | $37,920 | $34,850 |
| 36 | Durham, NC | $37,020 | $33,680 | $38,690 | $37,940 |
| 37 | Albuquerque, NM | $36,900 | $30,430 | $40,080 | $38,620 |
| 38 | Providence, RI-MA | $36,820 | $32,930 | $38,730 | $36,180 |
| 39 | Glens Falls, NY | $36,750 | $32,840 | $38,690 | $38,740 |
| 40 | Fargo, ND-MN | $36,730 | $30,870 | $39,600 | $40,420 |
| 41 | Grand Rapids, MI | $36,570 | $29,720 | $39,940 | $38,270 |
| 42 | Crestview, FL | $36,520 | $34,320 | $37,610 | $37,640 |
| 43 | Flint, MI | $36,440 | $29,740 | $39,750 | $39,170 |
| 44 | Dover, DE | $36,420 | $32,930 | $38,150 | $37,350 |
| 45 | Rocky Mount, NC | $36,380 | $31,300 | $38,880 | $41,340 |
| 46 | Allentown, PA-NJ | $36,170 | $30,600 | $38,940 | $36,180 |
| 47 | Peoria, IL | $36,150 | $31,240 | $38,560 | $39,620 |
| 48 | Virginia Beach, VA-NC | $36,030 | $29,970 | $39,020 | $36,790 |
| 49 | Albany, NY | $35,980 | $32,470 | $37,730 | $36,140 |
| 50 | Port St. Lucie, FL | $35,880 | $34,380 | $36,610 | $35,800 |
| 51 | Dayton, OH | $35,800 | $26,580 | $40,330 | $38,620 |
| 52 | Gainesville, FL | $35,730 | $33,800 | $36,670 | $36,940 |
| 53 | Lakeland, FL | $35,730 | $28,600 | $39,250 | $36,780 |
| 54 | Rochester, NY | $35,710 | $33,070 | $37,000 | $36,800 |
| 55 | Kingston, NY | $35,690 | $32,820 | $37,110 | $35,440 |
| 56 | Bridgeport, CT | $35,670 | $34,780 | $36,110 | $33,380 |
| 57 | Detroit, MI | $35,670 | $30,530 | $38,190 | $35,560 |
| 58 | Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $35,590 | $31,010 | $37,840 | $34,700 |
| 59 | Waterbury, CT | $35,590 | $34,010 | $36,380 | $35,670 |
| 60 | Phoenix, AZ | $35,570 | $31,200 | $37,710 | $34,430 |
| 61 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $35,550 | $26,870 | $39,830 | $37,280 |
| 62 | Atlantic City, NJ | $35,460 | $32,220 | $37,070 | $35,870 |
| 63 | Athens, GA | $35,380 | $32,320 | $36,880 | $37,900 |
| 64 | Buffalo, NY | $35,380 | $32,450 | $36,840 | $36,910 |
| 65 | Miami, FL | $35,070 | $32,640 | $36,280 | $30,720 |
| 66 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $35,050 | $33,970 | $35,570 | $39,400 |
| 67 | Farmington, NM | $35,050 | $30,720 | $37,190 | $39,960 |
| 68 | Trenton, NJ | $35,010 | $32,220 | $36,400 | $33,930 |
| 69 | St. George, UT | $34,880 | $32,550 | $36,030 | $35,840 |
| 70 | Utica, NY | $34,880 | $32,300 | $36,150 | $37,640 |
| 71 | Pittsfield, MA | $34,860 | $31,450 | $36,550 | $36,650 |
| 72 | Elkhart, IN | $34,760 | $30,870 | $36,670 | $38,480 |
| 73 | Lancaster, PA | $34,760 | $30,010 | $37,090 | $35,380 |
| 74 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $34,650 | $30,410 | $36,730 | $36,440 |
| 75 | Champaign, IL | $34,630 | $31,200 | $36,320 | $37,360 |
| 76 | Orlando, FL | $34,630 | $31,680 | $36,090 | $34,150 |
| 77 | Tucson, AZ | $34,530 | $32,120 | $35,710 | $35,640 |
| 78 | Pittsburgh, PA | $34,420 | $29,430 | $36,880 | $36,360 |
| 79 | Chicago, IL-IN | $34,340 | $31,550 | $35,730 | $33,150 |
| 80 | Roanoke, VA | $34,340 | $29,330 | $36,820 | $36,680 |
| 81 | Lake Charles, LA | $34,260 | $26,480 | $38,080 | $39,910 |
| 82 | Watertown, NY | $34,220 | $32,240 | $35,190 | $39,020 |
| 83 | Fayetteville, AR | $34,170 | $26,600 | $37,900 | $37,400 |
| 84 | Kankakee, IL | $34,130 | $31,200 | $35,590 | $35,410 |
| 85 | Richmond, VA | $34,050 | $28,910 | $36,570 | $34,800 |
| 86 | Indianapolis, IN | $33,900 | $29,140 | $36,230 | $35,420 |
| 87 | Anchorage, AK | $33,840 | $32,280 | $34,590 | $32,100 |
| 88 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | $33,800 | $26,230 | $37,540 | $39,350 |
| 89 | Charleston, SC | $33,740 | $27,830 | $36,630 | $33,420 |
| 90 | Reading, PA | $33,720 | $27,580 | $36,730 | $34,740 |
| 91 | Binghamton, NY | $33,590 | $32,240 | $34,240 | $36,170 |
| 92 | Rapid City, SD | $33,570 | $31,240 | $34,690 | $37,650 |
| 93 | Topeka, KS | $33,450 | $28,540 | $35,860 | $37,660 |
| 94 | Rockford, IL | $33,400 | $31,200 | $34,510 | $36,240 |
| 95 | Pensacola, FL | $33,380 | $32,530 | $33,800 | $34,160 |
| 96 | Bloomington, IL | $33,300 | $31,200 | $34,340 | $35,600 |
| 97 | Fort Wayne, IN | $33,240 | $27,270 | $36,190 | $35,910 |
| 98 | Tampa, FL | $33,240 | $31,200 | $34,220 | $32,950 |
| 99 | Springfield, IL | $33,220 | $31,200 | $34,220 | $35,820 |
| 100 | Charlotte, NC-SC | $33,090 | $27,370 | $35,900 | $33,990 |
| 101 | Lafayette, IN | $33,090 | $31,050 | $34,070 | $35,420 |
| 102 | Nashville, TN | $33,090 | $24,750 | $37,210 | $34,350 |
| 103 | Greensboro, NC | $33,070 | $30,450 | $34,380 | $35,610 |
| 104 | Evansville, IN | $32,970 | $26,870 | $35,960 | $36,020 |
| 105 | North Port, FL | $32,970 | $29,000 | $34,940 | $32,190 |
| 106 | Davenport, IA-IL | $32,860 | $30,350 | $34,110 | $36,890 |
| 107 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $32,780 | $28,580 | $34,860 | $35,420 |
| 108 | Manchester, NH | $32,760 | $22,940 | $37,590 | $31,010 |
| 109 | Harrisonburg, VA | $32,720 | $25,810 | $36,110 | $34,480 |
| 110 | Raleigh, NC | $32,570 | $25,830 | $35,900 | $33,180 |
| 111 | Cleveland, OH | $32,490 | $25,850 | $35,760 | $34,590 |
| 112 | Austin, TX | $32,300 | $27,000 | $34,920 | $32,940 |
| 113 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $32,300 | $28,720 | $34,070 | $34,700 |
| 114 | Youngstown, OH | $32,280 | $24,320 | $36,190 | $36,940 |
| 115 | Joplin, MO-KS | $32,260 | $28,930 | $33,900 | $37,640 |
| 116 | Lynchburg, VA | $32,200 | $28,250 | $34,130 | $36,030 |
| 117 | South Bend, IN-MI | $32,160 | $28,870 | $33,800 | $34,630 |
| 118 | Boise City, ID | $32,140 | $27,370 | $34,470 | $32,670 |
| 119 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | $31,910 | $30,740 | $32,490 | $33,910 |
| 120 | Beaumont, TX | $31,740 | $25,250 | $34,940 | $35,250 |
| 121 | Winston, NC | $31,550 | $26,150 | $34,240 | $34,280 |
| 122 | Little Rock, AR | $31,240 | $24,810 | $34,400 | $34,960 |
| 123 | Lansing, MI | $31,200 | $29,450 | $32,050 | $32,850 |
| 124 | Jacksonville, FL | $31,160 | $28,140 | $32,640 | $31,320 |
| 125 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $31,010 | $25,400 | $33,780 | $33,640 |
| 126 | Houston, TX | $30,970 | $26,330 | $33,260 | $31,400 |
| 127 | McAllen, TX | $29,990 | $23,170 | $33,360 | $34,910 |
| 128 | Dallas, TX | $29,910 | $23,300 | $33,180 | $29,010 |
| 129 | Knoxville, TN | $29,910 | $26,690 | $31,510 | $32,310 |
| 130 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | $29,810 | $24,690 | $32,320 | $32,590 |
| 131 | Tulsa, OK | $29,620 | $26,400 | $31,220 | $33,200 |
| 132 | Atlanta, GA | $29,560 | $23,280 | $32,640 | $29,540 |
| 133 | Warner Robins, GA | $29,490 | $19,260 | $34,550 | $31,440 |
| 134 | Jonesboro, AR | $29,410 | $24,840 | $31,660 | $34,250 |
| 135 | Wichita, KS | $29,000 | $25,980 | $30,490 | $32,600 |
| 136 | Twin Falls, ID | $28,870 | $25,250 | $30,660 | $31,340 |
| 137 | Michigan City, IN | $28,770 | $25,190 | $30,510 | $31,380 |
| 138 | San Antonio, TX | $28,370 | $22,150 | $31,430 | $29,950 |
| 139 | Columbus, GA-AL | $28,330 | $23,480 | $30,720 | $31,730 |
| 140 | Gulfport, MS | $28,290 | $19,680 | $32,550 | $31,430 |
| 141 | Oklahoma City, OK | $28,100 | $22,210 | $31,010 | $31,080 |
| 142 | El Paso, TX | $28,020 | $21,670 | $31,140 | $31,160 |
| 143 | Spartanburg, SC | $27,930 | $24,500 | $29,640 | $30,680 |
| 144 | Kokomo, IN | $27,790 | $24,090 | $29,620 | $31,000 |
| 145 | Baton Rouge, LA | $27,520 | $20,160 | $31,140 | $30,320 |
| 146 | Brunswick, GA | $27,250 | $25,170 | $28,290 | $31,070 |
| 147 | Greenville, SC | $27,060 | $24,040 | $28,540 | $29,020 |
| 148 | Columbia, SC | $26,960 | $20,130 | $30,330 | $28,780 |
| 149 | Killeen, TX | $26,920 | $25,290 | $27,710 | $29,540 |
| 150 | Jackson, MS | $25,880 | $20,200 | $28,680 | $29,060 |
| 151 | Slidell, LA | $25,630 | $23,110 | $26,870 | $27,640 |
| 152 | New Orleans, LA | $24,500 | $15,890 | $28,750 | $26,460 |
| 153 | Savannah, GA | $22,400 | $16,680 | $25,230 | $23,530 |
| 154 | Augusta, GA-SC | $21,670 | $16,790 | $24,090 | $23,580 |
| 155 | Houma, LA | $18,220 | $17,060 | $18,800 | $21,410 |
More
More on school bus monitors
Method
About these numbers
- Mean wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 estimates for each metropolitan statistical area, as published in the Department of Labor’s 2026–27 OFLC prevailing-wage file. Only metros with their own BLS estimate are listed.
- Entry (Level I) and experienced (Level IV) are the Department of Labor’s prevailing-wage levels for the occupation in that metro, used for employer visa filings. They are benchmarks from the same OEWS survey, not percentiles.
- OEWS top-codes wages at $115 an hour ($239,200 a year); top-coded means are shown as "$239,200+" and left out of rankings.
- At US prices divides the mean by the metro’s BEA Regional Price Parity (2024) over 100, a NueCareer calculation.
Questions
School Bus Monitor salary by city: FAQ
Which city pays school bus monitors the most?
Seattle, WA, where the average (mean) wage is $49,210 a year, followed by San Francisco, CA ($44,050), Portland, OR-WA ($43,100), Sacramento, CA ($42,040). The national mean is $35,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do school bus monitors earn the most after cost of living?
Divided by each metro's BEA price level, pay goes furthest in Rochester, MN ($46,240 at national prices, $42,000 nominal), Seattle, WA ($44,280 at national prices, $49,210 nominal), Columbus, OH ($42,990 at national prices, $41,040 nominal).
How much do school bus monitors make in the biggest cities?
New York, NY-NJ: $38,040; Los Angeles, CA: $39,870; Chicago, IL-IN: $34,340; Dallas, TX: $29,910; Houston, TX: $30,970 (mean annual wage, BLS OEWS May 2025).
Where do school bus monitors earn the least?
Of the 155 metro areas with their own estimate, Houma, LA has the lowest mean wage, $18,220. At local prices that is worth $21,410.