Bus Drivers, School Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 52.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,615/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new bus drivers, schools typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,285/month.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $46K locally vs. $48K nationally, a 5% difference.

Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -5%.

The median is $45,560 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,090, and experienced bus drivers, schools can clear $52,000. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,059/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,615/month, which eats 52.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Mid Michigan nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bus drivers, school salary is worth about $45,560 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.