U.S. Census Bureau
The U.S. Census, required every 10 years by the U.S. Constitution, will take place, Wednesday, April 1st.
The U.S. Census Bureau opened a local office here last week and is looking to hire local residents to assist with the count.
The Bureau is looking to fill five positions: census takers, census field supervisors, recruiting assistants, clerks, and office operations supervisors. Pay for these roles starts at $20 an hour.
Applicants for the job above must be at least 18 years old, have a valid social security number, and pass a Census Bureau-performed background check and review of criminal record, which includes fingerprinting.
For more information on the available positions and how to apply, visit the U.S. Census job site.
In his weekly newsletter to constituents, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland stressed the importance of the census: “The importance of making sure we have an accurate count cannot be overstated.”
The data will determine how the federal government allocates $675 in federal funds to each state over the next 10 years. A portion of the city’s budget comes from federal- and state-shared revenue based on Memphis’ population count. The mayor adds that planning for essential city services, such fire and police services, as well as the upkeep of roads and parks, depends on the accuracy of the census count.
Here are a few areas for which the amount of federal funding is determined by Census data:
Children: Census data is used to determine the funding needed for school lunches, the Head Start program, special education grants, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.
Transportation: Census data guides how billions of federal dollars for transportation are distributed, including capital improvement grants for public transit and funds for highway construction and planning. Specifically, in the past funds have been used for State and Community Highway Safety Grant Program, Federal Transit Metropolitan Planning Grants, and Federal Transit Formula Grants.
Jobs: Companies use census data to determine where to identify areas to open new factories, offices, or stores. The data is also used to distribute community block grants, which are used in part to create jobs through retaining and expanding businesses.
Housing: Census data influences how much money is allocated to housing-related programs, such as the Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments, Public Housing Capital Fund, and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance programs. The data also helps private developers and public officials to determine where to invest in new housing developments.
Representation: Numbers collected from the census are also used to make sure political power is fairly distributed among states and within states. The data is used to redraw district lines to determine representation in Congress, state legislatures, school boards, and other electoral bodies whose membership is based on population and geography.
After receiving an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census, households can respond either by mail, phone, or online. It is required by law to respond to the census.
The census asks basic questions about each person in a household, and all answers are anonymous, used only for the purpose of generating data.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Shelby County contains many of the hardest to count (HTC) census tracts in the country based on results from the 2010 Census.
Nearly half of the census tracts in Shelby County had a mail return rate of less than 73 percent and fell in the bottom 20 percent for return rates nationwide.
Tracts with the lowest return rates here are located primarily in the 38115, 38118, and 38104 zip codes.
