Where is it easiest to open: Special Needs Transportation
45 states, side by side. Operator counts and wages from Census and BLS; licence records matched on “SOC 53-3052” (soc) for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 497 | 13.7 | $42,504 | not matched | — |
| NY | 421 | 17.2 | $42,551 | exam | Bus Driver; Certified Examiner - Bus Driver |
| FL | 203 | 15.9 | $42,311 | exam | Cardroom Bus Officer/Director/Sharehol |
| MA | 164 | 22.2 | $37,083 | exam | BUS DRIVER |
| OH | 149 | 10.9 | $27,750 | not matched | — |
| TX | 103 | 18.0 | $40,457 | not matched | — |
| VA | 97 | 24.3 | $39,876 | not matched | — |
| WI | 96 | 12.1 | $32,773 | exam | SCHOOL BUS DRIVER |
| AZ | 95 | 24.1 | $23,373 | not matched | — |
| NJ | 88 | 17.0 | $36,758 | exam | BUS DRIVER |
| PA | 88 | 27.8 | $37,757 | not matched | — |
| OR | 79 | 13.1 | $33,790 | licence | School Bus Driver Certificate; Special Pupil Activity Bus (SPAB) Driv |
| IL | 78 | 34.6 | $39,606 | exam | COMMERCIAL DRIVER (TRUCK AND BUS OPERA |
| WA | 69 | 27.1 | $45,399 | not matched | — |
| MI | 68 | 11.4 | $31,501 | exam | Chauffeur License |
| CO | 64 | 13.1 | $48,168 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| MN | 60 | 27.9 | $44,677 | licence | Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Scho |
| GA | 58 | 12.9 | $35,418 | not matched | — |
| LA | 53 | 8.5 | $31,581 | not matched | — |
| NC | 45 | 11.7 | $28,598 | licence | Regular Route Passenger Operations By |
| SC | 38 | 17.6 | $30,233 | not matched | — |
| CT | 35 | 25.0 | $38,720 | not matched | — |
| RI | 35 | 11.2 | $36,038 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| MO | 35 | 8.1 | $29,078 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| TN | 34 | 8.6 | $39,164 | not matched | — |
| MD | 32 | 39.3 | $47,816 | licence | BUS DRIVER, SCHOOL; BUS DRIVER, TRANSIT AND INTERCITY |
| IN | 30 | 8.2 | $40,696 | not matched | — |
| KS | 22 | 7.7 | $31,775 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| KY | 22 | 18.2 | $28,848 | exam | School Bus Driver |
| MS | 19 | 13.1 | $24,771 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| NH | 18 | 12.8 | $26,643 | exam | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
| IA | 18 | 10.3 | $31,065 | exam | Bus Driver |
| HI | 18 | 29.7 | $56,118 | not matched | — |
| OK | 17 | 8.8 | $29,779 | not matched | — |
| NV | 16 | 74.3 | $43,048 | not matched | — |
| UT | 15 | 15.9 | $28,176 | licence | DRIVER - TRANSIT AND INTERCITY |
| NM | 14 | 43.4 | $37,405 | not matched | — |
| AL | 12 | 15.2 | $33,781 | exam | CDL Class B |
| ID | 10 | 12.5 | $26,008 | not matched | — |
| AR | 10 | 8.3 | $27,470 | not matched | — |
| DE | 9 | 55.2 | $42,149 | exam | School Supervisor of School Bus Transp |
| DC | 8 | 20.8 | $48,133 | not matched | — |
| ME | 8 | 10.4 | $39,807 | not matched | — |
| NE | 6 | 4.3 | $32,846 | not matched | — |
| SD | 5 | 5.8 | $32,310 | licence | Commercial Drivers License (CDL) |
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.