Does that fact tend to "filter out" those who are not young and unencumbered by financial obligations like mortgages and families or those who are well off?
I have a wife, three young children, and a mortgage, and it didn't filter me out. The money isn't the biggest challenge, it is tough work and it takes a long time to reach the pay off. The daily grind up against the machine that is government will wear you down faster then anything else.
Well, it definitely filtered me out. And BTW, $163K is for a step 10. New government employees almost always start as a step 1.