Bus Drivers, School in Montana
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$37,902
after federal, FICA and Montana tax
Tax takes
$8,318
18.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,000
Montana costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Montana — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$46,220
Kept after tax
$37,902
Worth in national money
$42,000
State rank
30
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Montana is 30 of 51 states for bus drivers, school, with a middle wage of $46,220. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 475 occupations Montana reports figures for, this is number 346.
- Montana is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $46,220 the take-home is $37,902; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $42,000 would nationally. The average comes to $46,780, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Montana ranks 30 of 51 for bus drivers, school at $46,220. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Montana's occupational distribution, bus drivers, school sits at 346 of 475 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for bus drivers, school in Montana, on $46,220, is $37,902 — equivalent to $42,000 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $46,780 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Bus Drivers, School
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,120 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $46,220 |
| Top tenth earn over | $57,870 |
| This salary | $46,220 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Montana | $37,902 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $39,318 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,539 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $44,458 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,861 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $46,220 as a midpoint for Montana, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $36,120 and the ninetieth is $57,870 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Montana's $37,902, worked from $46,220. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 346 of 475.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $42,000 uses one figure for the whole of Montana. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 475 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 346.
- The Montana median of $46,220 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $36,120 to $57,870. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The Montana take-home of $37,902, on $46,220 for work ranking 346 of 475 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 346 of 475 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $42,000, worked from $46,220, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Montana address, on work sitting at 346 of 475 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $36,120 at the bottom tenth to $57,870 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Montana is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $42,000 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Montana then takes its own share, leaving $37,902.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($36,120 to $57,870) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Montana rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Montana's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $42,000 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $37,902 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Montana income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.