W
hen I got a postcard
in the mail advertis-
ing a part-time job as
a census taker, it seemed per-
fect. I had some bills to pay, and
I needed a job. I had just moved
to the area and figured it might
be a great way to meet people.
“So I signed up. I went to a
class on weekends for training,
and I had to show that I could
read street maps. Then I was set
free with a list of houses to visit.
My job was to knock on doors
of people who hadn’t returned
their U.S. Census mailer andtry to gather information like
how many people lived in the
household and their names and
ages. The answers would be
used to determine planning for
things like roads and schools.
“I loved getting paid to walk
outside in beautiful weather.
The pay varies by area, but I
made around $ 20 an hour for
both training and fieldwork.
“Turns out, I was good at the
job. A woman in her 80s and I
successfully gathered more cen-
sus data than any other worker
in our group.“I met a lot of interesting
people. One woman offered
me tea and another offered me
soup. One apartment ignored
my knocks day after day. So
I made up a song and sang it
the next time I visited. ‘Please
open the door, I can’t wait any-
more... I can see your light on, I
got somethin’ to write on...’ I
got the information I needed,
and I even recorded my Census
Song a nd posted it on YouTube!
To f ind similar work for next
year’s Census, call 855-562-2020
or visit 2020Census.gov.Lara Manzanares scored serious cash when she signed up to collect data for
the U.S. Census. Read on to learn how you can do the same!$$$^ Cash^ in
this^ week!Lara Manzanares, 35,
Albuquerque, NM
“I made $20 an hour walking
around my neighborhood!”