School Bus Monitors Salary
The median pay for a school bus monitors in Cedar Rapids, IA is $34,590/year ($16.63/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $36K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.96), which stretches that salary to about $38,883 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $956/month, about 40.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $35K actually covers in Cedar Rapids, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Cedar Rapids’s Regional Price Parity (88.96). 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 school bus monitors
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Cedar Rapids
School bus monitors pay in Cedar Rapids tracks closely to the national median, $35K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $956/month, which is 40.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.96 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for school bus monitors in metros near Cedar Rapids, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $32K | $35K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $34K | $33K |
| St. Louis | $35K | $37K |
| Kansas City | $32K | $34K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Cedar Rapids, IA
Entry-level school bus monitors (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $35K. Top earners bring in $36K or more, a $1K spread from bottom to top.
School Bus Monitors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View School Bus Monitors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $42K | +21% | 470 |
| District of Columbia | $42K | +19% | N/A |
| Oregon | $41K | +17% | 380 |
| Hawaii | $40K | +15% | 220 |
| Vermont | $39K | +11% | 70 |
| Maryland | $39K | +10% | 2,370 |
| Minnesota | $39K | +10% | 790 |
| North Dakota | $38K | +10% | 120 |
| California | $38K | +9% | 1,260 |
| Maine | $38K | +8% | 160 |
| Utah | $38K | +8% | 470 |
| New Hampshire | $38K | +7% | 120 |
| New York | $37K | +5% | 19,090 |
| Wyoming | $37K | +5% | 330 |
| Wisconsin | $37K | +4% | 310 |
| Delaware | $37K | +4% | 280 |
| Virginia | $37K | +4% | 1,920 |
| New Mexico | $36K | +3% | 330 |
| New Jersey | $36K | +3% | 6,100 |
| Massachusetts | $36K | +3% | 2,300 |
| Rhode Island | $36K | +2% | N/A |
| Connecticut | $35K | +1% | 1,520 |
| Pennsylvania | $35K | +1% | 3,180 |
| Nebraska | $35K | -1% | 480 |
| Montana | $35K | -1% | 200 |
| Arizona | $35K | -2% | 1,570 |
| South Dakota | $34K | -2% | 140 |
| Missouri | $34K | -3% | 1,530 |
| Florida | $34K | -3% | 4,080 |
| Alaska | $34K | -3% | 260 |
| Illinois | $34K | -4% | 6,930 |
| Indiana | $34K | -4% | 2,020 |
| Colorado | $34K | -4% | 150 |
| North Carolina | $33K | -6% | 1,360 |
| Iowa | $33K | -7% | 520 |
| Michigan | $32K | -7% | 1,860 |
| Idaho | $32K | -8% | 340 |
| Georgia | $30K | -14% | 2,870 |
| Kansas | $29K | -16% | 1,240 |
| Texas | $29K | -17% | 2,610 |
| Nevada | $29K | -17% | 160 |
| Arkansas | $28K | -19% | 780 |
| Kentucky | $28K | -20% | 370 |
| Alabama | $28K | -20% | 130 |
| Oklahoma | $28K | -20% | 720 |
| Ohio | $28K | -20% | 1,000 |
| Tennessee | $27K | -22% | 830 |
| South Carolina | $26K | -25% | 1,180 |
| Louisiana | $25K | -28% | 1,170 |
| Mississippi | $24K | -33% | 540 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track school bus monitors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Cedar Rapids numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a school bus monitor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Cedar Rapids?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $35K, rent takes 40.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $956/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for school bus monitors in Cedar Rapids?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new school bus monitors typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,357/month. At HUD’s $956/month FMR, rent would take 41% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is school bus monitor a high-paying job in Cedar Rapids?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $35K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Cedar Rapids compare to the national average for school bus monitors?
Cedar Rapids pays $35K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $39K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do school bus monitors make in Cedar Rapids, IA?
The median is $34,590 a year, that works out to about $17 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,590, and experienced school bus monitors can clear $35,860. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $35K enough to live in Cedar Rapids?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,357/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $956/month, which eats 40.6% 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 school bus monitors salary go in Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids has a Regional Price Parity of 88.96 (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 school bus monitors salary is worth about $38,883 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do school bus monitors 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.