Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity vs Driver/Sales Workers: $59K vs $39K Median Pay

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity vs Driver/Sales Workers: what changes?

Consider Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity if you want to drive bus or motor coach, including regular route operations, charters, and private carriage. Consider Driver/Sales Workers if you would rather drive truck or other vehicle over established routes or within an established territory and sell or deliver goods, such as food products, including restaurant take-out items, or pick up or deliver items such as…. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity and Driver/Sales Workers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

National median pay (2025): $59,050
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Drive vehicles over specified routes or to specified destinations according to time schedules, complying with traffic regulations to ensure that passengers have a smooth and safe ride.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 21,100

Know before you choose

Operating or riding in vehicles is a recurring part of the work rather than an occasional trip.

See the full Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity brief

Driver/Sales Workers

National median pay (2025): $38,770
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Drive trucks to deliver such items as food, medical supplies, or newspapers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 45,500

Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Driver/Sales Workers brief

How the national numbers differ

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on median pay

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity is at $59,050, compared with $38,770 for Driver/Sales Workers.

Driver/Sales Workers has the edge on projected growth

Driver/Sales Workers is at 7.9% projected growth, compared with 4.1% projected growth for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.

Driver/Sales Workers has the edge on annual openings

Driver/Sales Workers is at 45,500 annual openings, compared with 21,100 annual openings for Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity.

65.6/ 100

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

62.9/ 100

Driver/Sales Workers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity vs Driver/Sales Workers

Dimension	Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	Driver/Sales Workers
Median pay (2025)	$59,050	$38,770
Pay percentile	46.2 percentile	9.6 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	4.1%	7.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	21,100	45,500
2025 employment	166,400	442,900
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity brief Read Driver/Sales Workers brief

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity vs Driver/Sales Workers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity

Driver/Sales Workers

How the national numbers differ

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity has the edge on median pay

Driver/Sales Workers has the edge on projected growth

Driver/Sales Workers has the edge on annual openings

Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity vs Driver/Sales Workers

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