Last Updated on October 10, 2025 by Matt Staff
Across offices, classrooms, and construction sites, salaries told their own stories. Some jobs rose with the new wave of innovation, while others struggled to keep pace with inflation and shifting demand. Whether someone was teaching, driving a truck, or writing code for an emerging tech company, what they earned said a lot about their place in that moment in history. Here are twenty examples of what people brought home during one of the most fascinating and fast-moving decades of the modern era.
1. Teacher (Public School)
1980 Salary: $17,644 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $68,000
2. Postal Worker / Mail Carrier
1980 Salary: $17,658 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $67,000
3. Construction Worker
1980 Salary: $19,407 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $74,000
4. Registered Nurse
1980 Salary: $17,400 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $67,000
5. Police Officer
1980 Salary: $19,400 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $75,000
6. Factory Worker
1980 Salary: $14,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $54,000
7. Secretary / Office Clerk
1980 Salary: $12,500 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $48,000
8. Truck Driver
1980 Salary: $39,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $150,000
9. Electrician / Plumber
1980 Salary: $18,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $69,000
10. Firefighter
1980 Salary: $17,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $66,000
11. Bank Teller
1980 Salary: $10,800 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $41,000
12. Retail Sales Clerk
1980 Salary: $9,500 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $36,000
13. Doctor (General Practitioner)
1980 Salary: $55,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $210,000
14. Lawyer
1980 Salary: $45,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $170,000
15. Accountant
1980 Salary: $21,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $80,000
16. Engineer (Mechanical / Civil)
1980 Salary: $24,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $92,000
17. Computer Programmer
1980 Salary: $22,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $84,000
18. Flight Attendant
1980 Salary: $17,500 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $67,000
19. Journalist / Reporter
1980 Salary: $16,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $61,000
20. Restaurant Cook
1980 Salary: $10,000 | 2025 Equivalent: ≈ $38,000
Want to see more work-related content?
Check out 20 Reasons Blue-Collar Jobs Are Growing, or take a look at 17 Odd Jobs Teenagers Took in the 1960s. Finally, if you want to see ’70s jobs that kids shouldn’t have been doing, check out 17 Jobs from the ’70s Parents Never Should Have Let Their Kids Do.
