School Bus Monitors Salary
The median pay for a school bus monitors in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is $36,540/year ($17.57/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $38K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.44), so that salary is closer to $34,329 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,201/month, about 87.2% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $37K actually covers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario’s Regional Price Parity (106.44). 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
School bus monitors pay in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario tracks closely to the national median, $37K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 4% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,201/month, which is 85.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.44), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for school bus monitors in metros near Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $39K | $35K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $38K | $34K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $43K | $37K |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $38K | $38K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Entry-level school bus monitors (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $37K. Top earners bring in $38K or more, a $2K 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a school bus monitor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 85.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,201/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 school bus monitors in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new school bus monitors typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,498/month. At HUD’s $2,201/month FMR, rent would take 88% 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $37K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario compare to the national average for school bus monitors?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $34K — below the national median.
How much do school bus monitors make in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The median is $36,540 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,520, and experienced school bus monitors can clear $37,640. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $37K enough to live in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,563/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,201/month, which eats 85.9% 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has a Regional Price Parity of 106.44 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median school bus monitors salary is worth about $34,329 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.