School Bus Monitors Career, Salary and Skills
School Bus Monitors have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $35,100 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 78,420. Wage data is published for 205 locations.
Occupation description
Maintain order among students on a school bus. Duties include helping students safely board and exit and communicating behavioral problems. May perform pretrip and posttrip inspections and prepare for and assist in emergency evacuations.
O*NET code
33-9094.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
Not recorded
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$35,100
Hourly median
$16.88
Employment
78,420
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.75 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.25 | 2.75 |
| Speaking | 3.25 | 2.62 |
| Active Listening | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Service Orientation | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.88 | 2.50 |
| Coordination | 2.88 | 2.25 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.88 | 2.38 |
| Writing | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.75 | 2.00 |
Typical tasks
- Operate a wheelchair lift to load or unload wheelchairs.
- Buckle seatbelts or fasten wheelchair tie-down straps to secure passengers for transportation.
- Escort young children across roads or highways.
- Assist children with disabilities or children with psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues with boarding and exiting the school bus.
- Monitor the conduct of students to maintain discipline and safety.
- Evacuate students from the school bus in emergency situations.
- Direct students boarding and exiting the school bus.
- Direct students evacuating the bus during safety drills.
Technology
- Microsoft Windows
- Web browser software
School Bus Monitors salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- School Bus Monitors Salary in NYMedian $36,910 · Employment 19,090
- School Bus Monitors Salary in New York, NYMedian $37,340 · Employment 16,260
- School Bus Monitors Salary in ILMedian $33,840 · Employment 6,930
- School Bus Monitors Salary in NJMedian $36,100 · Employment 6,100
- School Bus Monitors Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $33,890 · Employment 5,210
- School Bus Monitors Salary in FLMedian $34,110 · Employment 4,080
- School Bus Monitors Salary in PAMedian $35,290 · Employment 3,180
- School Bus Monitors Salary in GAMedian $30,130 · Employment 2,870
- School Bus Monitors Salary in TXMedian $29,300 · Employment 2,610
- School Bus Monitors Salary in Philadelphia, PAMedian $34,620 · Employment 2,550
- School Bus Monitors Salary in MDMedian $38,750 · Employment 2,370
- School Bus Monitors Salary in MAMedian $36,020 · Employment 2,300
Related careers
- TutorsNational median $43,350
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and AdvisorsNational median $64,330
- Transit and Railroad PoliceNational median $90,230
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationNational median $63,970
- Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special EducationNational median not published
- Special Education Teachers, Elementary SchoolNational median not published
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolNational median $74,260
- Teaching Assistants, Special EducationNational median not published
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.