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Where is it easiest to open: School and Employee Bus Transportation
40 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 53-3051” (soc) for Bus Drivers, School. A blank gate means NO RECORD MATCHED, which is not the same as no licence.
| State | Operators | Avg staff | Pay / employee | Gate | Licence titles matched |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA | 601 | 42.2 | $23,122 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 332 | 43.8 | $29,917 | exam | BUS DRIVER |
| NY | 290 | 126.6 | $39,165 | exam | Bus Driver; Certified Examiner - Bus Driver |
| MD | 279 | 20.9 | $35,005 | licence | BUS DRIVER, SCHOOL; BUS DRIVER, TRANSIT AND INTERCITY |
| MN | 200 | 52.2 | $31,987 | licence | Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Scho |
| WI | 187 | 40.1 | $24,880 | exam | SCHOOL BUS DRIVER |
| MA | 183 | 64.8 | $34,013 | exam | BUS DRIVER |
| CT | 162 | 55.8 | $35,802 | not matched | — |
| IL | 122 | 117.1 | $29,567 | exam | COMMERCIAL DRIVER (TRUCK AND BUS OPERA |
| CA | 122 | 81.0 | $46,253 | not matched | — |
| TN | 113 | 12.3 | $28,290 | not matched | — |
| MO | 83 | 54.3 | $24,931 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| DE | 73 | 18.1 | $25,023 | exam | School Supervisor of School Bus Transp |
| OH | 70 | 53.1 | $33,246 | not matched | — |
| FL | 51 | 34.9 | $37,270 | exam | Cardroom Bus Officer/Director/Sharehol |
| IN | 49 | 7.4 | $19,601 | not matched | — |
| TX | 48 | 88.4 | $40,032 | not matched | — |
| NH | 34 | 59.8 | $31,348 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| MI | 34 | 49.4 | $35,618 | exam | Chauffeur License |
| RI | 33 | 69.6 | $27,279 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL); School Bus Driver |
| MT | 26 | 24.1 | $22,049 | exam | Bus Drivers |
| OR | 26 | 66.3 | $29,443 | licence | School Bus Driver Certificate; Special Pupil Activity Bus (SPAB) Driv |
| NM | 25 | 40.5 | $26,186 | not matched | — |
| KS | 23 | 143.4 | $27,169 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| ME | 17 | 25.9 | $32,145 | not matched | — |
| WA | 13 | 112.7 | $48,167 | not matched | — |
| LA | 13 | 61.7 | $25,345 | not matched | — |
| AZ | 10 | 125.5 | $61,706 | not matched | — |
| NC | 9 | 58.9 | $18,562 | exam | Commercial Driver License with P and S; Regular Route Passenger Operations By |
| HI | 9 | 80.8 | $30,051 | not matched | — |
| ID | 8 | 77.8 | $30,715 | not matched | — |
| GA | 8 | 62.8 | $43,723 | not matched | — |
| OK | 6 | 13.3 | $40,200 | not matched | — |
| AK | 5 | 9.2 | $21,957 | licence | Bus Driver, School |
| NE | 4 | 118.5 | $28,673 | not matched | — |
| ND | 4 | 1.2 | $18,200 | not matched | — |
| IA | 4 | 36.8 | $28,272 | exam | Bus Driver |
| VA | 4 | 86.5 | $60,038 | not matched | — |
| UT | 3 | 3.0 | $37,556 | licence | DRIVER - SCHOOL BUS |
| NV | 3 | 53.0 | $43,962 | not matched | — |
Axes are shown side by side and deliberately NOT collapsed into a ranking. A composite would be a score with no measured interval, and an unmeasured score is the thing this product exists to argue against. A high licence gate is a cost to enter and a moat once cleared — which of those matters more is the operator's call, not ours.
Licence data courtesy of CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. Free to read, no account, always — a condition of the data licence as well as our own position.