Few people can say they were paid to be part of history. But with the 2020 census coming up, it’ll be time to make it count.

Since 1790, the population of the United States has been recorded in a decennial event known as the national census. 2020 not only marks the start of a new decade, but the beginning of a new census.

However, planning the census isn’t an easy feat to accomplish. With over 300 million people recorded living in the United States in the 2010 census, the scope of the survey becomes larger each decade. Because of this, the federal government employs hundreds of thousands of census surveyors called “enumerators”.

The role of an enumerator is straightforward. Each enumerator is issued a smartphone and a list of addresses they must visit. From there, the enumerator will conduct a short interview with the resident(s) of the home. Information such as name, age, religion and the number of people who live in the home is then recorded by the enumerator.

“The job starts the end of March and should last into July” said Gary Ollerenshaw.

Ollerenshaw is a recruiter for the national census and is currently hiring enumerators for the 2020 census.

Enumerators can be expected to be paid $16.00 – $17.50 per hour, with a minimum of 20 hours and a maximum of 40 hours a week. The job will pay on a weekly basis and the hours are flexible for college students focusing on afternoons, evenings and weekends. Enumerators must have a reliable form of transportation but will be paid by the mile to cover for gas.

If an enumerator is hired, a standard background check will be issued, and fingerprint information will be collected.

Ollerenshaw helped on the 2010 census and feels more people should know the importance of it, with its significance based in Article I Section 2 of the constitution.

Ollerenshaw says that while the census’s main purpose is to count for every resident in the United States, it also helps other parts of the government by providing valuable statistics. This includes the House of Representatives, state representatives and most importantly how federal funding is distributed for over 55 national programs.

The window to apply for enumerator positions is wrapping up soon, as it will conclude in early March.

For more information, please contact Gary Ollerenshaw through email @ [email protected] or visit 2020census.gov/jobs