Bus Drivers, School Salary
In Wildwood-The Villages, FL, bus drivers, schools earn $39,550 at the median, or about $19.02 an hour. The range runs from $27K at the entry level to $62K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.42), which stretches that salary to about $46,301 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,328/month, about 46.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $40K get you in Wildwood-The Villages?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Wildwood-The Villages’s Regional Price Parity (85.42). 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 Wildwood-The Villages
Pay for bus drivers, school in Wildwood-The Villages runs about 17% below the U.S. median of $48K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,328/month, which is 47.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.42 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 15% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for bus drivers, schools.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for bus drivers, schools in metros near Wildwood-The Villages, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $46K | $40K |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $46K | $45K |
| Jacksonville | $47K | $47K |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $39K | $38K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Wildwood-The Villages, FL
Entry-level bus drivers, schools (10th percentile) start around $27K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $62K or more, a $35K 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 |
| Ohio | $46K | -4% | 5,540 |
| Kansas | $46K | -4% | 4,830 |
| 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 states
Track bus drivers, school salary changes
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Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a bus drivers, school afford a 2BR apartment alone in Wildwood-The Villages?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 47.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,328/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/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 Wildwood-The Villages?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bus drivers, schools typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,622/month. At HUD’s $1,328/month FMR, rent would take 82% 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 Wildwood-The Villages?
Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $40K here vs. $48K nationally. Cost of living is 15% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Wildwood-The Villages compare to the national average for bus drivers, schools?
Wildwood-The Villages pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $46K — below the national median.
How much do bus drivers, schools make in Wildwood-The Villages, FL?
The median is $39,550 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $27,040, and experienced bus drivers, schools can clear $61,630. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Wildwood-The Villages?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,818/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,328/month, which eats 47.1% 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 Wildwood-The Villages?
Wildwood-The Villages has a Regional Price Parity of 85.42 (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 $46,301 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.