Bus Drivers, School
Median $47,920
Occupation · SOC 53-3052
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity: pay and where the jobs are
What bus drivers, transit and intercity earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$59,050 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $60,280
- Median hourly wage
- $28.39
- Mean hourly wage
- $28.98
- Employment
- 159,240
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-3052.
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See where your pay falls among bus drivers, transit and intercity nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do bus drivers, transit and intercity make?
The median annual wage for bus drivers, transit and intercity was $59,050 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,030 and the highest-paid 10% more than $84,700. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.39. About 159,240 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($84,480), Washington ($72,280) and Hawaii ($68,500). New York also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for bus drivers, transit and intercity looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,030 | $19.25 | $3,336 | $2,862 |
| 25th percentile | $47,530 | $22.85 | $3,961 | $3,364 |
| Median | $59,050 | $28.39 | $4,921 | $4,136 |
| 75th percentile | $70,700 | $33.99 | $5,892 | $4,881 |
| 90th percentile | $84,700 | $40.72 | $7,058 | $5,701 |
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$59,211 take-home in national prices
2
$55,323 take-home in national prices
3
$54,831 take-home in national prices
Where a median bus drivers, transit and intercity paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 16,770 | $84,480 | $57,610 | $84,700 | $63,901 | $59,211 |
| Washington | 6,960 | $72,280 | $55,520 | $93,180 | $58,676 | $54,831 |
| Hawaii | 2,190 | $68,500 | $46,870 | $68,500 | $53,275 | $48,453 |
| California | 24,380 | $67,130 | $48,600 | $90,810 | $53,038 | $47,903 |
| Oregon | 2,620 | $65,510 | $47,100 | $81,110 | $50,026 | $48,399 |
| Massachusetts | 3,970 | $65,460 | $50,380 | $93,500 | $51,423 | $48,624 |
| Maryland | 4,890 | $65,220 | $46,770 | $92,320 | $51,852 | $49,402 |
| Illinois | 8,650 | $65,200 | $47,270 | $85,990 | $51,486 | $51,507 |
| Alaska | 250 | $64,150 | $46,960 | $76,230 | $53,454 | $52,222 |
| Colorado | 3,540 | $63,010 | $50,870 | $71,090 | $50,467 | $48,973 |
| Ohio | 4,000 | $62,760 | $40,660 | $74,270 | $51,325 | $55,323 |
| Nevada | 2,540 | $61,700 | $43,590 | $90,540 | $51,756 | $51,767 |
| New Jersey | 6,420 | $61,140 | $48,340 | $70,700 | $49,029 | $45,061 |
| Missouri | 1,860 | $60,660 | $39,030 | $67,040 | $49,007 | $53,962 |
| Delaware | 380 | $60,510 | $39,390 | $65,710 | $47,876 | $47,968 |
| Connecticut | 1,830 | $60,100 | $44,130 | $75,040 | $47,614 | $45,955 |
| Indiana | 2,130 | $58,410 | $45,380 | $62,970 | $47,419 | $50,808 |
| Maine | 470 | $57,870 | $45,180 | $63,360 | $46,161 | $47,564 |
| District of Columbia | 150 | $55,580 | $50,070 | $58,390 | $44,670 | $40,645 |
| New Hampshire | 300 | $54,830 | $40,820 | $67,850 | $46,236 | $44,387 |
| Kentucky | 2,570 | $54,550 | $32,020 | $61,590 | $44,219 | $49,046 |
| Arizona | 3,240 | $53,870 | $39,350 | $72,140 | $44,512 | $44,212 |
| Vermont | 440 | $53,830 | $46,910 | $62,630 | $44,063 | $44,981 |
| Virginia | 3,800 | $52,940 | $39,430 | $76,170 | $42,487 | $42,023 |
| Wisconsin | 2,220 | $52,660 | $43,740 | $63,810 | $42,784 | $45,469 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,710 | $51,360 | $37,860 | $76,560 | $41,835 | $42,876 |
| Utah | 1,230 | $50,730 | $41,600 | $60,250 | $41,227 | $41,701 |
| Oklahoma | 1,760 | $50,300 | $37,380 | $65,400 | $40,878 | $46,535 |
| Minnesota | 2,610 | $50,200 | $43,430 | $62,480 | $40,405 | $40,970 |
| Idaho | 520 | $49,000 | $39,460 | $62,530 | $40,063 | $41,953 |
| North Dakota | 250 | $48,890 | $39,040 | $56,840 | $41,463 | $46,609 |
| Louisiana | 1,490 | $48,860 | $33,360 | $64,660 | $40,359 | $45,755 |
| Texas | 11,600 | $48,740 | $37,290 | $64,890 | $41,343 | $42,596 |
| Rhode Island | 70 | $48,610 | $44,550 | $64,600 | $39,497 | $38,617 |
| Florida | 9,130 | $48,300 | $37,070 | $71,380 | $40,989 | $39,636 |
| Tennessee | 1,970 | $47,770 | $39,530 | $58,900 | $40,563 | $44,153 |
| Michigan | 3,620 | $47,660 | $38,020 | $65,710 | $38,700 | $40,222 |
| Iowa | 1,560 | $45,890 | $35,520 | $60,730 | $37,961 | $43,254 |
| Montana | 450 | $45,640 | $38,920 | $57,380 | $37,463 | $39,583 |
| Wyoming | 130 | $45,630 | $39,740 | $62,940 | $38,844 | $41,907 |
| New Mexico | 580 | $45,610 | $35,460 | $48,350 | $37,834 | $41,029 |
| Georgia | 3,700 | $45,500 | $37,310 | $57,940 | $37,217 | $38,650 |
| Nebraska | 460 | $45,120 | $32,850 | $61,120 | $37,261 | $41,353 |
| North Carolina | 2,900 | $44,060 | $35,610 | $57,330 | $36,333 | $38,518 |
| South Carolina | 630 | $43,330 | $29,740 | $49,140 | $36,414 | $38,842 |
| South Dakota | 410 | $41,590 | $29,670 | $48,430 | $35,598 | $40,184 |
| Kansas | 430 | $41,340 | $29,290 | $50,800 | $33,890 | $37,627 |
| West Virginia | 520 | $39,260 | $30,710 | $49,430 | $32,705 | $36,544 |
| Mississippi | 400 | $38,570 | $30,210 | $44,630 | $32,360 | $37,216 |
| Alabama | 960 | $37,700 | $29,640 | $46,680 | $30,944 | $34,838 |
| Arkansas | 570 | $37,520 | $29,550 | $56,140 | $31,427 | $36,149 |
| Puerto Rico | 510 | $32,230 | $23,030 | $37,220 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-3052. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.