School Bus Monitors Salary
The median pay for a school bus monitors in Lake Charles, LA is $31,410/year ($15.1/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $25K at the entry level to $39K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 85.85), which stretches that salary to about $36,587 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,217/month, about 56.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $31K get you in Lake Charles?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lake Charles’s Regional Price Parity (85.85). 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
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What this looks like in Lake Charles
Pay for school bus monitors in Lake Charles runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $35K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,217/month, which is 55.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 85.85 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 14% 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 school bus monitorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for school bus monitors in metros near Lake Charles, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington | $27K | $29K |
| New Orleans-Metairie | $25K | $27K |
| Baton Rouge | $29K | $32K |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux | $17K | $20K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lake Charles, LA
Entry-level school bus monitors (10th percentile) start around $25K. Mid-career wages sit at $31K. Top earners bring in $39K or more, a $14K 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
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 Lake Charles numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a school bus monitor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lake Charles?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $31K, rent takes 55.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,217/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 Lake Charles?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new school bus monitors typically earn — is $25K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,515/month. At HUD’s $1,217/month FMR, rent would take 80% 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 Lake Charles?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $31K here vs. $35K nationally. Cost of living is 14% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Lake Charles compare to the national average for school bus monitors?
Lake Charles pays $31K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 85.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do school bus monitors make in Lake Charles, LA?
The median is $31,410 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $25,250, and experienced school bus monitors can clear $39,320. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $31K enough to live in Lake Charles?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,199/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,217/month, which eats 55.3% 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 Lake Charles?
Lake Charles has a Regional Price Parity of 85.85 (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 $36,587 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.