Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
53-3052 Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
Drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage. May assist passengers with baggage. May collect fares or tickets.
National estimates for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
Industry profile for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
Geographic profile for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity
National estimates for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 184,990 |
0.7 % |
$ 28.78 |
$ 59,860 |
0.4 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 18.09 |
$ 22.21 |
$ 28.93 |
$ 36.88 |
$ 39.74 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 37,630 |
$ 46,210 |
$ 60,170 |
$ 76,700 |
$ 82,660 |
Industry profile for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
117,610 |
2.13 |
$ 31.40 |
$ 65,300 |
| Urban Transit Systems |
23,240 |
55.62 |
$ 24.87 |
$ 51,730 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
11,690 |
52.72 |
$ 22.43 |
$ 46,660 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
7,290 |
50.12 |
$ 23.56 |
$ 49,000 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
6,850 |
0.32 |
$ 33.25 |
$ 69,170 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Urban Transit Systems |
23,240 |
55.62 |
$ 24.87 |
$ 51,730 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
11,690 |
52.72 |
$ 22.43 |
$ 46,660 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
7,290 |
50.12 |
$ 23.56 |
$ 49,000 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land |
2,280 |
21.09 |
$ 23.74 |
$ 49,380 |
| Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation |
6,580 |
6.66 |
$ 21.70 |
$ 45,140 |
Top paying industries for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
6,850 |
0.32 |
$ 33.25 |
$ 69,170 |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
117,610 |
2.13 |
$ 31.40 |
$ 65,300 |
| Taxi and Limousine Service |
620 |
1.04 |
$ 27.05 |
$ 56,260 |
| Urban Transit Systems |
23,240 |
55.62 |
$ 24.87 |
$ 51,730 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land |
2,280 |
21.09 |
$ 23.74 |
$ 49,380 |
Geographic profile for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
35,960 |
2.00 |
1.64 |
$ 31.51 |
$ 65,540 |
| Texas |
10,970 |
0.81 |
0.66 |
$ 22.87 |
$ 47,570 |
| Washington |
7,250 |
2.07 |
1.70 |
$ 33.15 |
$ 68,960 |
| Florida |
7,240 |
0.76 |
0.62 |
$ 21.40 |
$ 44,520 |
| Illinois |
7,190 |
1.20 |
0.98 |
$ 32.56 |
$ 67,720 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Hawaii |
1,840 |
2.98 |
2.44 |
$ 28.65 |
$ 59,580 |
| Washington |
7,250 |
2.07 |
1.70 |
$ 33.15 |
$ 68,960 |
| California |
35,960 |
2.00 |
1.64 |
$ 31.51 |
$ 65,540 |
| Maryland |
4,730 |
1.77 |
1.45 |
$ 28.80 |
$ 59,900 |
| Vermont |
440 |
1.46 |
1.20 |
$ 25.12 |
$ 52,240 |
Top paying states for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 35.30 |
$ 73,420 |
| Washington |
7,250 |
2.07 |
1.70 |
$ 33.15 |
$ 68,960 |
| Illinois |
7,190 |
1.20 |
0.98 |
$ 32.56 |
$ 67,720 |
| Alaska |
170 |
0.56 |
0.46 |
$ 32.24 |
$ 67,050 |
| California |
35,960 |
2.00 |
1.64 |
$ 31.51 |
$ 65,540 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
16,530 |
2.67 |
2.19 |
$ 32.04 |
$ 66,650 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
6,480 |
2.67 |
2.20 |
$ 35.38 |
$ 73,590 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
6,020 |
1.34 |
1.10 |
$ 34.11 |
$ 70,950 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
4,610 |
2.22 |
1.82 |
$ 35.17 |
$ 73,160 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,420 |
1.43 |
1.17 |
$ 28.32 |
$ 58,900 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
3,580 |
1.29 |
1.06 |
$ 31.53 |
$ 65,570 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
3,340 |
1.05 |
0.86 |
$ 23.23 |
$ 48,310 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA |
2,580 |
1.55 |
1.28 |
$ 30.48 |
$ 63,400 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
2,570 |
0.91 |
0.75 |
$ 23.10 |
$ 48,050 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
2,420 |
2.00 |
1.64 |
$ 31.64 |
$ 65,810 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Modesto, CA |
950 |
4.96 |
4.07 |
$ 30.33 |
$ 63,090 |
| Enid, OK |
100 |
4.08 |
3.35 |
$ 16.27 |
$ 33,840 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
1,560 |
3.56 |
2.93 |
$ 29.50 |
$ 61,360 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
680 |
3.27 |
2.69 |
$ 31.09 |
$ 64,670 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA |
270 |
2.89 |
2.38 |
$ 30.28 |
$ 62,980 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
330 |
2.89 |
2.37 |
$ 19.75 |
$ 41,080 |
| Vallejo-Fairfield, CA |
380 |
2.79 |
2.29 |
$ 28.22 |
$ 58,700 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL |
290 |
2.75 |
2.25 |
$ 28.31 |
$ 58,890 |
| Lawton, OK |
110 |
2.69 |
2.21 |
$ 17.45 |
$ 36,300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
6,480 |
2.67 |
2.20 |
$ 35.38 |
$ 73,590 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
1,410 |
1.23 |
1.01 |
$ 35.77 |
$ 74,390 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
6,480 |
2.67 |
2.20 |
$ 35.38 |
$ 73,590 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 35.35 |
$ 73,530 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
4,610 |
2.22 |
1.82 |
$ 35.17 |
$ 73,160 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
6,020 |
1.34 |
1.10 |
$ 34.11 |
$ 70,950 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA |
160 |
1.67 |
1.37 |
$ 32.90 |
$ 68,430 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
16,530 |
2.67 |
2.19 |
$ 32.04 |
$ 66,650 |
| Salinas, CA |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 31.91 |
$ 66,360 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
900 |
0.84 |
0.69 |
$ 31.69 |
$ 65,900 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
2,420 |
2.00 |
1.64 |
$ 31.64 |
$ 65,810 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
