Bus Drivers, School in the Watertown-Fort Drum Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Bus Drivers, School pay in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY at a median of $48,290 per year ($23.22/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $47,920, the metro estimate is +1% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 180 bus drivers, school are employed across the Watertown-Fort Drum MSA in SOC 53-3051.

The Watertown-Fort Drum pay distribution spans from $42,580 at the 10th percentile to $59,100 at the 90th, a 1.4× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $46,350 and the 75th at $50,760, so half of Watertown-Fort Drum-based bus drivers, school earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Watertown-Fort Drum, NY covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide NY estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.