The US Census Bureau is looking for temporary workers to help with the count.
And the Bureau has raised the per-hour pay in North Dakota, in part because of the state’s low unemployment rate.
The Census Office Manager for the state Commerce Department, Kevin Iverson, said in western North Dakota, the pay has been upped from $17 to $21 an hour, while in the eastern counties, it went from $15.50 to $18. The exception is Cass County, where the pay is now $21 an hour.
"Since they've done that, and since we've done everything we could to get the word out, there's been a step-up in the number of people interested in those positions," Iverson said, "They should be -- because this has a direct impact for the next decade on those local communities throughout the state."
The Bureau will be hiring more than 1200 people statewide. The workers will go to households who have not filled out the federal census forms. And Iverson said the hours are flexible.
"The assignments will be created on a daily basis, based on how many hours you have available for the next day," Iverson said.
Iverson, said it’s important to have local people to help take the Census.
"If we look at the data from 2010, we know about 26 percent of households did not respond to the census form, for whatever reason," Iverson said. "So individuals have to knock on doors, saying, 'I'm sorry - we didn't get your census information, but we need to collect it.' You need individuals that can be trusted, and hopefully, from the area doing that work."
