Thousands of census workers this year will bank $20 an hour going door to door in search of Washingtonians who skip the decennial population count.
In anticipation of the 2010 census next month, local offices are poring through mountains of applications for temporary workers — sought-after slots thanks to a slumping economy.
“The word got out, and people got really excited about it,” said Karen Brown, head of the Alexandria census office. “People wanted to make some extra money.”
Census offices in the Washington region are seeking roughly 10,000 census takers to pepper the area in search of those who don’t respond to the 10-question survey. The number of respondents will determine the workers — and money — needed to track down survey dodgers.
The U.S. Census Bureau expects to create 1.2 million positions, part of the government’s unprecedented push for temporary employees. Bureau spokesman Robert Crockett predicted the agency would devote $2.7 billion to hiring additional workers in coming months.
Census takers’ hourly starting pay
Alexandria: $20
District: $20
Fairfax: $20
Largo: $18.50
Manassas: $18
Rockville: $18.50
Some lawmakers questioned the spending of the agency after a report by the Commerce Department’s inspector general last month found that about 10,000 workers were paid a combined $3.4 million just for completing training. And $2.5 million was spent on advertising during the Super Bowl.
Sylvia Ballinger, a spokeswoman for census offices in the District and Maryland, said they are pushing for Spanish-speaking workers to bolster Hispanic participation.
County governments have turned to churches and nonprofits to make the case to Hispanics, including illegals, among the least likely participants. Legal status has no bearing on the census.
The population count determines more than $400 billion in federal funding, with local officials estimating each person counted accounts for about $1,000 per year.
Local census workers say they will be forced to turn away more applicants than ever before.
“You don’t need a Ph.D. or anything like that,” said Fairfax census office manager Odis Graham, referring to the surging number of applicants. “We have been very successful in our recruiting.”
