The U.S. Census Bureau is searching for workers in the Inland Northwest to carry out the once-every-10-years count.
The bureau is advertising thousands of temporary jobs in the region. Those jobs will last about eight weeks. Pay is up to $16 an hour.
“The reason we have a census is to reapportion seats in the House of Representatives," says Toby Nelson from the Census Bureau. "In addition, more than $650 billion of funding each year is allocated based on census data, money for schools, lunch programs. So it's vitally important that people participate in the census, not just for themselves but the community.”
He says the census takers will be used specifically to do follow up visits to homes that have not responded to mailed out questionnaires.
“In March, Washington households will receive letters asking them to respond to the 2020 census. And this census, for the first time, they can respond online, via phone or the traditional mail back method. In May, households who have not responded will get a visit from a census taker. And those are the positions we are currently recruiting for in Spokane," he said.
You can find more info online about the census jobs available in Spokane and eastern Washington by visiting 2020census.gov/jobs.
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office wants you to know that field staff from the Census Bureau may be contacting residents in Spokane County through the end of March. Those workers will carry and display identification as well as a bag that contains a laptop on which they record information.
