Bus Drivers, School in Nebraska
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$39,086
after federal, FICA and Nebraska tax
Tax takes
$8,674
18.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$43,248
Nebraska costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Nebraska — 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
$47,760
Kept after tax
$39,086
Worth in national money
$43,248
State rank
23
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Nebraska is 23 of 51 states for bus drivers, school, with a middle wage of $47,760. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 488 occupations Nebraska reports figures for, this is number 329.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $47,760 you keep $39,086 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $43,248 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $48,920, since top earners drag the number up.
- Nebraska ranks 23 of 51 for bus drivers, school at $47,760. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Nebraska's occupational distribution, bus drivers, school sits at 329 of 488 — 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.
- Retained pay in Nebraska is $39,086 after the full tax stack, from $47,760. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $43,248 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $48,920 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Bus Drivers, School
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,800 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $47,760 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,340 |
| This salary | $47,760 |
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 Nebraska | $39,086 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $40,555 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$1,514 |
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 | $45,931 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,831 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of bus drivers, school in Nebraska earn under $47,760 and half over. The published range runs $36,800 at the tenth percentile to $58,340 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Nebraska's $39,086, worked from $47,760. 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 329 of 488.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $43,248 uses one figure for the whole of Nebraska. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 488 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 329.
- Figures are distribution medians for bus drivers, school in Nebraska, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $36,800 to $58,340; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Nebraska take-home of $39,086, on $47,760 for work ranking 329 of 488 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 329 of 488 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $43,248, worked from $47,760, 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 Nebraska address, on work sitting at 329 of 488 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $36,800 at the bottom tenth to $58,340 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Nebraska sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $43,248 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Nebraska's own levy, $39,086 remains.
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 ($36,800 to $58,340) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Nebraska rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Nebraska'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 $43,248 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 $39,086 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Nebraska 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.