Hiring process begins in Colorado Springs for the 2020 census
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The 2020 census is right around the corner, which means the U.S. Census Bureau is hard at work trying to fill part-time employee positions.
This time around, a census bureau is located right here in Colorado Springs and they are personally in charge of handling 38 Counties here in Colorado.
Because of the large coverage area, a lot of help is needed.
Vaughn Jones with the Colorado Springs Census Bureau Office said, “We want people that are people people, and they are not afraid to approach people and talk to them.”
With the hiring process starting last week, potential new hires have a short amount of time to get their applications in as the hiring process will only run through February. In El Paso County alone, 3,900 applications have already been submitted, but the committee is still struggling to find people in multiple counties.
“There are 10 counties that we encourage people to apply down in the southwestern part of the state. Saguache, Rio Grande, San Miguel. We are doing pretty well in El Paso but we also need applicants in teller county and park county,” said Jones.
And if you are a new hire, you will see a pay increase. The U.S. Census Bureau decided to raise the rate for new hires from a minimum of $14 per hour to $16. The pay range is between $16 and $22.50 per hour which varies on position.
Jones said, “the U.S. Census Bureau decided to raise the rate on December 1st, not only in El Paso County but the other 37 counties that I was talking about."
And the 2020 census is something that the Census Bureau and city officials are taking very seriously. Not only could it provide an extra seat for Colorado in the House, but money-wise it could be a huge benefit.
Jones said, “In the last census it was in the area of $8 billion. And if we are able to count everyone that we anticipate it could be as high as $13 billion that we get each year for the next decade.”
That money would help with school lunches, parks and other areas in colorado that are used on a daily basis.
