Pay by state · 50 states
School Bus Monitor Salary by State (2026)
School Bus Monitors earn the most in Washington at $42,330 a year and the least in Mississippi at $23,500 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $35,100. All 50 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $42,330Washington
- National median
- $35,100BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $23,500Mississippi
- States reporting
- 50of 54 OEWS areas
All states
School Bus Monitor salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of school bus monitors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WAWashington | $42,330 | $37,790 | $47,480 | 470 | $39,556 |
| 2 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $41,720 | $41,100 | $41,720 | N/A | $37,961 |
| 3 | OROregon | $40,900 | $37,300 | $46,850 | 380 | $39,570 |
| 4 | HIHawaii | $40,250 | $39,520 | $45,170 | 220 | $36,607 |
| 5 | VTVermont | $39,020 | $37,000 | $43,630 | 70 | $39,833 |
| 6 | MDMaryland | $38,750 | $35,050 | $45,520 | 2,370 | $36,919 |
| 7 | MNMinnesota | $38,590 | $36,200 | $40,860 | 790 | $39,130 |
| 8 | NDNorth Dakota | $38,480 | $33,610 | $44,770 | 120 | $43,256 |
| 9 | CACalifornia | $38,360 | $36,570 | $43,450 | 1,260 | $34,646 |
| 10 | MEMaine | $38,060 | $31,460 | $43,800 | 160 | $39,217 |
| 11 | UTUtah | $38,020 | $36,820 | $45,900 | 470 | $38,457 |
| 12 | NHNew Hampshire | $37,620 | $33,750 | $41,880 | 120 | $36,116 |
| 13 | NYNew York | $36,910 | $34,610 | $39,110 | 19,090 | $34,201 |
| 14 | WYWyoming | $36,810 | $33,750 | $38,620 | 330 | $39,713 |
| 15 | WIWisconsin | $36,640 | $30,260 | $39,880 | 310 | $38,939 |
| 16 | DEDelaware | $36,560 | $35,570 | $39,900 | 280 | $36,630 |
| 17 | VAVirginia | $36,510 | $30,240 | $42,600 | 1,920 | $36,111 |
| 18 | NMNew Mexico | $36,250 | $31,740 | $42,330 | 330 | $39,312 |
| 19 | NJNew Jersey | $36,100 | $33,280 | $37,410 | 6,100 | $33,179 |
| 20 | MAMassachusetts | $36,020 | $35,360 | $38,470 | 2,300 | $34,059 |
| 21 | RIRhode Island | $35,910 | $35,630 | $36,190 | N/A | $35,110 |
| 22 | CTConnecticut | $35,350 | $34,010 | $37,820 | 1,520 | $34,118 |
| 23 | PAPennsylvania | $35,290 | $30,830 | $38,250 | 3,180 | $36,168 |
| 24 | NENebraska | $34,750 | $32,800 | $42,780 | 480 | $38,567 |
| 25 | MTMontana | $34,740 | $32,200 | $35,730 | 200 | $36,706 |
| 26 | AZArizona | $34,560 | $31,300 | $36,040 | 1,570 | $34,328 |
| 27 | SDSouth Dakota | $34,380 | $32,820 | $35,000 | 140 | $38,810 |
| 28 | MOMissouri | $34,220 | $29,550 | $36,340 | 1,530 | $37,680 |
| 29 | FLFlorida | $34,110 | $31,490 | $36,270 | 4,080 | $32,984 |
| 30 | AKAlaska | $33,990 | $33,990 | $35,860 | 260 | $33,207 |
| 31 | ILIllinois | $33,840 | $31,200 | $35,350 | 6,930 | $33,854 |
| 32 | INIndiana | $33,590 | $29,910 | $36,020 | 2,020 | $35,991 |
| 33 | COColorado | $33,540 | $30,800 | $37,020 | 150 | $32,547 |
| 34 | NCNorth Carolina | $32,970 | $31,460 | $35,180 | 1,360 | $34,953 |
| 35 | IAIowa | $32,740 | $28,850 | $34,890 | 520 | $37,305 |
| 36 | MIMichigan | $32,480 | $29,540 | $36,540 | 1,860 | $33,757 |
| 37 | IDIdaho | $32,230 | $27,570 | $34,390 | 340 | $33,751 |
| 38 | GAGeorgia | $30,130 | $23,690 | $31,830 | 2,870 | $31,290 |
| 39 | KSKansas | $29,420 | $27,790 | $33,820 | 1,240 | $32,664 |
| 40 | TXTexas | $29,300 | $26,180 | $32,640 | 2,610 | $30,188 |
| 41 | NVNevada | $29,230 | $26,390 | $35,470 | 160 | $29,236 |
| 42 | ARArkansas | $28,260 | $25,150 | $34,820 | 780 | $32,506 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $28,220 | $21,310 | $30,240 | 370 | $31,300 |
| 44 | ALAlabama | $28,210 | $24,370 | $28,820 | 130 | $31,760 |
| 45 | OKOklahoma | $28,130 | $26,420 | $30,190 | 720 | $32,023 |
| 46 | OHOhio | $28,110 | $26,950 | $35,520 | 1,000 | $30,299 |
| 47 | TNTennessee | $27,250 | $25,330 | $35,000 | 830 | $29,661 |
| 48 | SCSouth Carolina | $26,240 | $18,840 | $30,720 | 1,180 | $27,990 |
| 49 | LALouisiana | $25,250 | $19,980 | $29,750 | 1,170 | $28,626 |
| 50 | MSMississippi | $23,500 | $18,990 | $28,620 | 540 | $27,026 |
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 School Bus Monitors, that changes the ranking: Washington leads on raw pay at $42,330, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $43,256.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
School Bus Monitor pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays School Bus Monitors the most?
Washington reports the highest median wage for School Bus Monitors at $42,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by District of Columbia ($41,720) and Oregon ($40,900).
Which state pays School Bus Monitors the least?
Mississippi reports the lowest median for School Bus Monitors at $23,500 a year, $18,830 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do School Bus Monitors earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts North Dakota first at $43,256 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $38,480. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.