Bus Drivers, School Salary
In Waterbury-Shelton, CT, bus drivers, schools earn $61,550 at the median, or about $29.59 an hour. The range runs from $45K at the entry level to $63K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.78), that's roughly $61,686 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,788/month, about 44.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $62K get you in Waterbury-Shelton?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Waterbury-Shelton’s Regional Price Parity (99.78). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About bus drivers, schools
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What this looks like in Waterbury-Shelton
Waterbury-Shelton sits well above the national pay line for bus drivers, school, local pay runs about 28% higher than the U.S. median of $48K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,788/month, which is 44.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.78) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for bus drivers, schools in metros near Waterbury-Shelton, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | $62K | $60K |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | $64K | $60K |
| New Haven | $62K | $59K |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic | $59K | $59K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Waterbury-Shelton, CT
Entry-level bus drivers, schools (10th percentile) start around $45K. Mid-career wages sit at $62K. Top earners bring in $63K or more, a $18K spread from bottom to top.
Bus Drivers, School pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Bus Drivers, School salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $65K | +36% | 9,330 |
| Washington | $63K | +32% | 9,660 |
| Connecticut | $62K | +28% | 7,970 |
| California | $61K | +27% | 16,600 |
| New Jersey | $59K | +24% | 13,670 |
| Hawaii | $59K | +23% | 630 |
| Rhode Island | $59K | +22% | 1,800 |
| New York | $57K | +18% | 38,320 |
| Vermont | $57K | +18% | 860 |
| Maryland | $56K | +18% | 9,020 |
| District of Columbia | $55K | +16% | 510 |
| Alaska | $54K | +13% | 790 |
| Utah | $53K | +10% | 1,920 |
| Colorado | $53K | +10% | 3,840 |
| Oregon | $51K | +7% | 5,210 |
| New Hampshire | $51K | +6% | 2,040 |
| North Dakota | $51K | +6% | 1,530 |
| Virginia | $50K | +5% | 12,930 |
| Illinois | $49K | +2% | 21,230 |
| Minnesota | $49K | +2% | 13,110 |
| Maine | $49K | +2% | 1,670 |
| Indiana | $48K | +0% | 11,780 |
| Nebraska | $48K | -0% | 2,330 |
| Wisconsin | $48K | -0% | 7,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -1% | 23,670 |
| Missouri | $47K | -2% | 8,970 |
| Michigan | $46K | -3% | 8,780 |
| Iowa | $46K | -3% | 4,840 |
| Idaho | $46K | -3% | 2,960 |
| Montana | $46K | -4% | 1,630 |
| Arizona | $46K | -4% | 5,020 |
| Kansas | $46K | -4% | 4,830 |
| Ohio | $46K | -4% | 5,540 |
| Wyoming | $46K | -5% | 1,360 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -5% | 4,340 |
| New Mexico | $45K | -5% | 1,870 |
| Georgia | $45K | -6% | 16,880 |
| Kentucky | $45K | -6% | 6,820 |
| Florida | $45K | -7% | 13,470 |
| Tennessee | $45K | -7% | 7,050 |
| Texas | $44K | -7% | 37,550 |
| Delaware | $42K | -12% | 1,350 |
| South Carolina | $40K | -17% | 5,900 |
| South Dakota | $40K | -17% | 1,290 |
| North Carolina | $37K | -22% | 12,390 |
| Nevada | $37K | -22% | 2,590 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -23% | 3,710 |
| West Virginia | $33K | -30% | 4,690 |
| Mississippi | $31K | -36% | 3,790 |
| Louisiana | $29K | -39% | 6,670 |
| Alabama | $18K | -63% | 10,410 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track bus drivers, school salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a bus drivers, school afford a 2BR apartment alone in Waterbury-Shelton?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $62K, rent takes 44.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,788/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for bus drivers, schools in Waterbury-Shelton?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bus drivers, schools typically earn — is $45K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,705/month. At HUD’s $1,788/month FMR, rent would take 66% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is bus drivers, school a high-paying job in Waterbury-Shelton?
Local pay is 28% above the national median — $62K here vs. $48K nationally.
How does Waterbury-Shelton compare to the national average for bus drivers, schools?
Waterbury-Shelton pays $62K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s +28%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $62K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do bus drivers, schools make in Waterbury-Shelton, CT?
The median is $61,550 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,080, and experienced bus drivers, schools can clear $63,270. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $62K enough to live in Waterbury-Shelton?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,047/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,788/month, which eats 44.2% 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.
How far does a bus drivers, school salary go in Waterbury-Shelton?
Waterbury-Shelton has a Regional Price Parity of 99.78 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bus drivers, school salary is worth about $61,686 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do bus drivers, schools get paid the most?
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.