My grandfather was a civil servant as an accountant in the Pentagon. He retired in the late 60s making $18,000 per year.
Up until then, civil service was understood by all that you weren’t going to be paid very well, but if you did your job well you would never be let go. Now you don’t have to do your job well, you get paid very well and they CAN’T fire you for anything!
According to the inflation calculator...
...$18,000 in 1968 is equal to $157,307 today.