Gearing up for the 2020 census

Our country has a constitutional responsibility to count every person in every household every 10 years. That time is creeping up on us once again as the 2020 census is just around the corner.

Judy Carswell is under contract with Hot Springs County to head up the census this year, making sure all of the positions are filled and keeping track of all the little things that go into this decade’s count.

According to Carswell, there will be a meeting to create a census committee on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the County Annex.

The committee will create a work plan to inform the community about the census and educate them as to how important an accurate count is.

Federal funding for each state and community is attached to the census, so getting a real count of how many people reside in each town and county in Wyoming is crucial.

Carswell reminds people that the census is completely anonymous and secure, we just need to know how many people are living here.

There are also jobs available with the census bureau that pay quite well, starting at $14.50 an hour.

They are looking for clerks, recruiting assistance, census takers and office personnel, just to name a few. Experience is not necessary as training will be provided.

Anyone interested in some of these jobs may go online to 2020census.gov/jobs to take a look at the job descriptions. All are flexible, allowing for daytime, evenings and even weekend work, so they could be used as a temporary second income for those who already work.

This year there will be different ways to make your mark with the census, online, by letter, by phone or by a census taker coming to your home, all created to make the process simpler and to hopefully get a more accurate accounting.