Hundreds of census takers being hired in Whatcom County

The U.S. Census Bureau is now recruiting hundreds of temporary census takers in Whatcom County in advance of the 2020 census.

Starting on March 12, all American households will begin receiving invitations in the mail to respond to the census, a national population count mandated by the U.S. Constitution that occurs every 10 years. The census consists of approximately 10 questions about the number of people in each household, their relationship to each other and their sex, age and race.

The 2020 census will be the 24th census, and the results will determine the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives over the next decade. It will also influence how more than $675 billion from more than 100 federal programs are distributed to states and localities each year.

Participation in the census is mandatory. Households can self-respond to their census invitation by mail, telephone or online. In 2010, the self-response rate in Whatcom County was 78 percent, compared to 76 percent statewide. “We encourage people to self-respond because it produces better data and is less expensive for the taxpayer,” said Toby Nelson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Census Bureau.

For those households that do not self-respond to their census invitation, census takers will be hired to knock on doors and personally visit these households starting on May 1. Nationwide, more than half a million field workers will be hired for the Census Bureau’s Nonresponse Followup Operation. “It’s the country’s largest peacetime labor mobilization,” said Nelson. “Our goal is to count every single person in the U.S. one time – it’s not a statistical sample.”

In Whatcom County, hundreds of census takers will be hired, although the precise number will not be known until the self-response statistics come in. The pay rate in Whatcom County will be $18.50 per hour. “We are hiring in all locations in Whatcom County because we need to cover the entire county,” said Nelson. “When we hire people, we will be hiring people to work specifically in the neighborhoods in which they live.”

Applications must be made online at 2020census.gov/jobs, and applicants are required to have a working email address. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and must generally be U.S. citizens. There is some availability to hire non-U.S. citizens for certain translator positions when no U.S. citizens are available, said Nelson. Non-U.S. citizens must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

Prior to being hired, applicants will undergo an FBI background check and be interviewed over the phone. Applications will be accepted through February. For more information about 2020 census jobs, please call 855/JOB-2020.