New York · BLS May 2025

School Bus Driver Salary in New York

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 38,320 bus drivers, school working in New York. Here is what they are paid, what the median leaves after federal, state and FICA tax, and what that is worth against local prices.

Median pay · New York

$56,640A year, or $27.23 an hour.
Take-home a month$3,769After federal, state and FICA tax at 20.2%
Worth at national prices$52,483Prices here sit at 107.9 against 100
Against the nation18.2% aboveNational median $47,920
What bus drivers, school earn in New York, May 2025
PercentileAnnualHourly
10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid$46,270$22.25
25th percentile$49,320$23.71
MedianHalf earn more, half less$56,640$27.23
75th percentile$62,550$30.07
90th percentileMost experienced and senior$76,070$36.57
MeanThe average, pulled up by the top$57,140$27.47
How we got this
  1. Median wage in New YorkBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of bus drivers, school earned more than this, half less.$56,640
  2. Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$27.23
  3. Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,769 a month at an effective rate of 20.2%.$45,228 a year
  4. Worth at national average pricesPrices in New York sit at 107.9 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$52,483
  5. Against the national medianThe national median is $47,920.18.2% above
  6. Jobs countedA concentration of 1.53 against the nation's 1.00.38,320
What we assumed
  • Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
  • OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
  • Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
  • Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details

Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1

What lands in the bank

A $56,640 salary in New York, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.

  • Federal income tax. $4,617 a year.
  • State income tax. $2,462 a year.
  • Social Security and Medicare. $4,333 a year.
  • Left over. $45,228 a year, $3,769 a month, an effective rate of 20.2%.

Run your own salary and filing status →

What $56,640 is worth in New York

Prices in New York sit at 107.9 against a national average of 100, so $56,640 earned here buys what $52,483 buys at national average prices.

  • Rents. 122.2 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
  • Against local households. The median household in New York takes in $85,974, so this occupation's median is 0.66 times that, on one income.
  • How common the job is here. 53% more concentrated in New York than in the country as a whole.

Compare two places properly →

Common questions

School Bus Driver pay in New York, answered

How much does a school bus driver make in New York?

The median wage for school bus drivers in New York is $56,640 a year, or $27.23 an hour.

Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.

What is the take-home pay for a school bus driver in New York?

On the median wage of $56,640, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $45,228 a year, or roughly $3,769 a month.

That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 20.2%.

New York takes $2,462 of it in state income tax.

Do school bus drivers earn more in New York than in the rest of the country?

Yes. The median in New York is 18.2% above the national median of $47,920.

Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in New York sit at 107.9 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.

Is $56,640 a good salary in New York?

It is 0.66 times the median household income of $85,974. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.

Prices in New York run at 107.9 against a national average of 100, with rents at 122.2, so $56,640 here buys about what $52,483 buys at national average prices.

What do the highest-paid school bus drivers earn in New York?

The top tenth earn $76,070 a year or more, against $46,270 at the bottom tenth.

Experience, specialism, employer and the part of New York someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.

How many school bus drivers are there in New York?

The survey counted 38,320 of these jobs in New York for May 2025.

That makes the occupation 53% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.

Sources

Where this data comes from