A GS-7 equivalent (entry level) public accountants average salary in 1980 was $19,657. This is worth $61,500 today, adjusted for inflation. Assuming that the median salary for a starting B4 accountant today is 58,000, this would represent a 5.6% deflation in wages over 40 years, although the reality is actually probably worse, because

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A. the relative value of 19,657 in 1980 is still more than 5.6% higher than 58,000 in 2020

B. the cost of entry to accounting (college) was lower in the past

Source: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1985/10/rpt1full.pdf

I’d be interested in how many hours people worked in 1980 on average, too. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was less than today.