The U.S. Census Bureau is gearing up for the 2010 census and began sending workers into the field Monday to verify addresses.
“Canvassers will be walking the streets with handheld computers,” Census Bureau spokesman Doug Wayland said. “They’ll walk door to door verifying addresses. That’s the foundation for the mailer that will be sent out with census questionnaires in 2010.”
Using global positioning satellite receivers and handheld computers, the field staff will compile census delivery lists.
Next, the Bureau will start hiring people to conduct the 2010 census. In late April, the Bureau will start recruiting managers for the Santa Fe office, Wayland said. In the fall, the Bureau will start hiring census takers for work in 2010.
“Census takers will do non-response follow-ups,” Wayland said, referring to people who do not return mailed census questionnaires. “They’ll go door to door to get people to fill out their questionnaires.”
The Bureau will focus on a complete count of Hispanic populations, which have been undercounted in previous census surveys, Wayland said.
The Bureau will hire recruiters from local communities so residents will be more comfortable filling out questionnaires, Wayland said..
The U.S. Census is held every 10 years to collect information that is used to determine, among other things, how much federal funding local and state governments receive for health, law enforcement and infrastructure, to calculate disease rates and to identify population growth trends across the country.
For more information, visit www.census.gov.