Bus drivers

Detailed Occupation

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2017 Workforce

590k

Average Age

51.9

Average Salary

$28,421

Average Male Salary

$32,026

Average Female Salary

$24,110

About

Bus drivers are most often employed by the Bus service & urban transit industry. The average yearly wage for Bus drivers was $28,421 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Bus drivers by wage are Dancers & choreographers, Military enlisted tactical operations & air/weapons specialists & crew members, and Sawing machine setters, operators, & tenders, wood.

Bus drivers are part of the Transportation Occupations, along with Supervisors of transportation & material moving workers, Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists, Flight attendants, Ambulance drivers & attendants, except emergency medical technicians, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Bus drivers are Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY, Queens Village, Cambria Heights & Rosedale PUMA, NY, and Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Bus drivers are East New York & Starrett City PUMA, NY, Thornton Township PUMA, IL, and Brookhaven Town (South) PUMA, NY.

Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations Transportation & Material Moving Occupations Transportation Occupations

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Bus drivers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Bus service & urban transit is the industry that employs the most Bus drivers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Bus drivers, by average wage, is Traveler accommodation. Bus drivers are paid most in Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in East New York & Starrett City PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$28,421

AVERAGE SALARY

± $781

In 2017, Bus drivers earned an average of $28,421, $27,533 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Sawing machine setters, operators, & tenders, wood make somewhat more than Bus drivers while Dancers & choreographers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Bus drivers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.368

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Bus drivers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.368, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Bus drivers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Bus drivers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Bus drivers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Bus drivers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Bus drivers, by number of employees, are Bus service & urban transit, Elementary & secondary schools, Services incidental to transportation, Child day care services, Scenic & sightseeing transportation, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Individual & family services, Amusement & Recreation, Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities, Administration of economic programs & space research, and Automotive equipment rental & leasing.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Bus drivers, by average wage, are Traveler accommodation, Administration of economic programs & space research, and Construction.

Industries by Share

590k

2017 Workforce

± 18,826

−1.07%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 4.55%

The number of people employed as Bus drivers has been declining at a rate of −1.07%, from 596,815 people in 2016 to 590,448 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Bus drivers employed by various industries. Bus service & urban transit employs the largest share of Bus drivers at 53.2%, followed by Elementary & secondary schools with 38.5% and Services incidental to transportation with 1.09%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Bus drivers in the US. The average age of male Bus drivers in the workforce is 54 and of female Bus drivers is 49.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Bus drivers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

322k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 13,906

269k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 12,719

54.5% of Bus drivers are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Bus drivers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Bus drivers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

55.1% of Bus drivers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 27% of Bus drivers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Bus drivers.

Age by Sex

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.583

49.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.552

The median age of Bus drivers is 51.9, and Male employees are generally 4.45 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Bus drivers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Bus drivers is Business but a relatively high number of Bus drivers hold a major in Mechanical Technologies.