Best Cities for Bus Drivers, Schools

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where bus drivers, schools get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.31	$75,230	$62,587	50%
2	MassachusettsState	1.25	$65,170	$60,065	42%
3	WashingtonState	1.23	$63,370	$59,059	36%
4	Rhode IslandState	1.22	$58,700	$58,408	31%
5	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.21	$66,380	$58,075	40%
6	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.20	$65,170	$57,419	47%
7	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.20	$62,190	$57,690	35%
8	ConnecticutState	1.19	$61,520	$57,175	31%
9	CaliforniaState	1.15	$61,040	$55,140	45%
10	VermontState	1.15	$56,580	$55,200	30%
11	New JerseyState	1.14	$59,430	$54,623	36%
12	North DakotaState	1.14	$50,790	$54,849	23%
13	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.14	$57,850	$54,679	35%
14	HawaiiState	1.12	$59,090	$53,718	48%
15	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.12	$51,600	$53,638	36%
16	IndianaState	1.11	$48,020	$53,061	26%
17	ArkansasState	1.10	$45,500	$52,723	23%
18	MissouriState	1.10	$46,880	$52,912	26%
19	UtahState	1.10	$52,890	$52,784	34%
20	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.10	$48,060	$52,697	30%
21	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.10	$61,580	$52,858	44%
22	NebraskaState	1.09	$47,760	$52,197	26%
23	AlaskaState	1.08	$54,200	$51,965	30%
24	IowaState	1.08	$46,320	$51,928	25%
25	MarylandState	1.08	$56,450	$51,694	36%
26	WisconsinState	1.08	$47,760	$51,744	27%
27	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.08	$48,110	$51,843	32%
28	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.07	$57,610	$51,073	42%
29	KansasState	1.06	$45,860	$50,956	27%
30	KentuckyState	1.06	$44,830	$50,655	26%
31	OhioState	1.06	$45,860	$50,730	27%
32	Columbus, OHMetro	1.06	$47,380	$50,674	33%
33	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.06	$46,840	$50,638	30%
34	IllinoisState	1.05	$49,090	$50,400	32%
35	MichiganState	1.05	$46,380	$50,249	29%
36	New YorkState	1.05	$56,640	$50,347	39%
37	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.05	$50,240	$50,492	35%
38	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.05	$51,960	$50,203	37%
39	ColoradoState	1.04	$52,620	$49,924	42%
40	MinnesotaState	1.04	$48,940	$49,939	31%
41	OregonState	1.04	$51,270	$49,777	37%
42	New MexicoState	1.03	$45,470	$49,424	28%
43	MaineState	1.02	$48,640	$48,737	32%
44	PennsylvaniaState	1.02	$47,530	$49,000	33%
45	TennesseeState	1.02	$44,510	$48,645	34%
46	WyomingState	1.02	$45,520	$48,946	26%
47	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.02	$47,310	$48,874	41%
48	District of ColumbiaState	1.01	$55,450	$48,513	45%
49	VirginiaState	1.01	$50,190	$48,493	38%
50	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.01	$47,030	$48,385	40%
51	GeorgiaState	1.00	$44,950	$48,126	38%
52	IdahoState	1.00	$46,250	$47,927	31%
53	MontanaState	1.00	$46,220	$47,946	29%
54	New HampshireState	1.00	$50,990	$48,104	37%
55	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.00	$46,020	$48,038	39%
56	TexasState	0.97	$44,490	$46,538	37%
57	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	0.97	$45,860	$46,558	45%
58	ArizonaState	0.95	$46,050	$45,639	39%
59	FloridaState	0.92	$44,690	$44,030	46%
60	South CarolinaState	0.91	$39,900	$43,370	38%
61	South DakotaState	0.91	$39,730	$43,756	29%
62	DelawareState	0.88	$42,390	$41,970	38%
63	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.88	$45,540	$41,972	54%
64	OklahomaState	0.87	$36,920	$41,718	31%
65	North CarolinaState	0.83	$37,460	$39,682	42%
66	West VirginiaState	0.83	$33,360	$39,620	30%
67	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	0.83	$36,780	$39,978	43%
68	NevadaState	0.78	$37,280	$37,206	47%
69	MississippiState	0.75	$30,640	$36,132	35%
70	LouisianaState	0.68	$29,450	$32,686	43%
71	AlabamaState	0.42	$17,630	$20,241	65%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).