School Bus Monitors Salary
The median pay for a school bus monitors in Lancaster, PA is $33,210/year ($15.97/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $39K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.26), that's roughly $33,798 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,526/month, about 66.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $33K get you in Lancaster?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Lancaster’s Regional Price Parity (98.26). 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 Lancaster
School bus monitors pay in Lancaster tracks closely to the national median, $33K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,526/month, which is 66.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.26) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for school bus monitors in metros near Lancaster, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $35K | $34K |
| Pittsburgh | $35K | $37K |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $37K | $37K |
| Reading | $36K | $37K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Lancaster, PA
Entry-level school bus monitors (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $33K. Top earners bring in $39K or more, a $8K 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 Lancaster numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a school bus monitor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Lancaster?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $33K, rent takes 66.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,526/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 Lancaster?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new school bus monitors typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,860/month. At HUD’s $1,526/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 school bus monitor a high-paying job in Lancaster?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $33K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Lancaster compare to the national average for school bus monitors?
Lancaster pays $33K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.26), the purchasing-power equivalent is $34K — below the national median.
How much do school bus monitors make in Lancaster, PA?
The median is $33,210 a year, that works out to about $16 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,000, and experienced school bus monitors can clear $38,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $33K enough to live in Lancaster?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,309/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,526/month, which eats 66.1% 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 school bus monitors salary go in Lancaster?
Lancaster has a Regional Price Parity of 98.26 (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 $33,798 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.