School and Employee Bus Transportation — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the school and employee bus transportation industry earns $36,558 per year ($17.58/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do School and Employee Bus Transportation Workers Earn?
At $36,558/year (equivalent to $17.58/hour for a full-time worker), school and employee bus transportation wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical school and employee bus transportation business employs 44 people. These are larger operations where staffing represents a major cost center and management complexity.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average school and employee bus transportation business generating $6.2M/year with 44 employees at $36,558 each, total payroll represents roughly 26.0% of revenue. Labor costs are relatively low compared to revenue — other costs (materials, equipment, overhead) dominate.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a school and employee bus transportationbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $47,525/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 44 employees = ~$1,608,552/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $17.58/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $6.2M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full School and Employee Bus Transportation revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do school and employee bus transportation employees make?
- The average school and employee bus transportation employee earns $36,558 per year, which is equivalent to $17.58/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the school and employee bus transportation industry?
- The school and employee bus transportation industry employs 183,567 workers across 4,214 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 44 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).