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School Bus Driver

$47,040
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Drive students safely to and from school and events, keeping order and following the route.

Where you work

School buses on local routes.

The hours

Split shifts mornings and afternoons, school days

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$47,040
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~61,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
0%
Little change
Working in the U.S.
387,300
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: On-the-job training, paid.

License or certification

Drivers need a commercial license with passenger and school bus endorsements.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Safe drivingStudent managementRoute knowledgePatience

The honest take

Often part-time with split shifts, but a reliable entry point with a summer break.

Standard Occupational Classification 53-3051. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.