Bus Drivers, School Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 53-3051 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$47,923
$23.04/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Bus Drivers, School is $47,923 per year ($23.04/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $38,646 and $58,427 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $65,728 per year. There are approximately 402,930 bus drivers, school employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Drive a school bus to transport students. Ensure adherence to safety rules. May assist students in boarding or exiting.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.2%
Little or no change
Annual openings
61K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
387K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
201K
$45,860
School and Employee Bus Transportation
NAICS 485400
142K
$50,040
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
43K
$48,980
Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
NAICS 485900
4K
$47,620
Child Care Services
NAICS 624400
4K
$41,160
Wage range across top 5 industries: $41,160 to $50,040 (22% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.06
$29,245
P25
$18.58
$38,646
P50MEDIAN
$23.04
$47,923
P75
$28.09
$58,427
P90
$31.60
$65,728
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average bus drivers, school salary?
The national median salary for Bus Drivers, School is $47,923 per year ($23.04/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $38,646 and $58,427 annually.
How much do top-earning bus drivers, school make?
The 90th percentile salary for Bus Drivers, School is $65,728 per year ($31.60/hr). The 75th percentile is $58,427 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for bus drivers, school?
Entry-level Bus Drivers, School (10th percentile) earn approximately $29,245 per year ($14.06/hr). The 25th percentile is $38,646 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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