Bus Drivers, School in Florence-Muscle Shoals

BLS metro-level wage data places Bus Drivers, School pay in Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL at a median of $17,260 per year ($8.30/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $47,920, Florence-Muscle Shoals pays 64% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 290 bus drivers, schools are employed across the Florence-Muscle Shoals MSA in SOC 53-3051.

The Florence-Muscle Shoals pay distribution spans from $16,560 at the 10th percentile to $41,530 at the 90th, a 2.5× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $16,920 and the 75th at $19,780, so half of Florence-Muscle Shoals-based bus drivers, schools earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live, which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide AL data, and peer-metro comparisons, a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.