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Every 10 years our country does a census to collect demographic data about our populous to drive public policy decisions. It’s an extremely big deal, and it temporarily creates 1.4 million jobs (according to government figures). But those aren’t typically the types of jobs that we talk about here, at least not the ones that send you door to door asking how many people live at a given residence. Luckily, the U.S. Census Bureau does a lot more than its once every ten years nationwide census. They are “the leading source of quality data about the nation’s people and economy,” so you’d be amazed by all of the things that they track. For instance, much of the economic data that you have been hearing about in the news lately – as in “Stocks plunge on weakened Monthly Retail Sales” – comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. If you’re fascinated by data or just love counting things, there aren’t many places that offer a more interesting work experience that the Census Bureau.
Everyone Counts at the U.S. Census Bureau
Ok, I’d like to go on about the cool things that the Census Bureau does, but we don’t really have time. Navigating the Census Bureau’s job offerings is kind of a hassle, so I want to make sure that you can find what you’re looking for. On their main Jobs page they have links to four sections – Headquarters Opportunities, 2010 Census Taker Opportunities, Regional Office Opportunities, and Student and Research Opportunities. You may be tempted to check out the Student Opportunities, but you actually want to check out either the Headquarters or Regional Office Opportunities. If you check out the Headquarters Opportunities, you’ll find job listings like Statistician / Analyst, Mathematical Statistician, Information Technology Specialist, Geographer, and Cartographer. These links will take you to more specific listings where you’ll find a link titled “How to Apply.” If you click that, you’ll find even more information and another link to the specific job descriptions on USAJobs.gov. You can also skip ahead and just search all of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 90 current openings. If you decide to check out the Regional Office Opportunities, you’ll just have to select a region, and you’ll be shown a list of opportunities. It’s a lot simpler.
As for locations:
The U.S. Census Bureau headquarters is located in Suitland, Maryland, just outside the District of Columbia.
The National Processing Center (NPC) is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The NPC also has two call centers located in Hagerstown, Maryland and Tucson, Arizona.
The Census Bureau has 12 Regional Offices located in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Seattle.
The Census Bureau has a ton of jobs, and there are a lot more coming. Many of these offer extremely interesting entry level work, but you’re going to have to show off your data parsing abilities to find and apply for the jobs – they don’t make the process easy at all.
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
- Census.gov
- Jobs at the U.S. Census Bureau
- About the U.S. Census Bureau
- History of the U.S. Census Bureau
- U.S. Census Bureau’s Data Tools
- FAQs from the U.S. Census Bureau
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I recently tried to apply for a regional part time job with the census. It’s easy to find jobs (www.2010censusjobs.com) but then it’s a little more vague. You have to take a test, and the only way to find out about locations and times is to call the regional office. In my case, they told me about the location and time, I took off work, showed up 20 min early, and found out it had been canceled. There was no communication ahead of time, which was the big thorn in my side because I had taken off from my full time job.
That said, 2 of my friends got jobs in other locations, and they are hiring A LOT throughout the year. I’m still planning on taking the test when the offer it again, and hopefully we’ll have more traction at that time. The website does include all the info you need, including a practice test. If you’re a college grad, and have some previous management experience, you might try taking the manager’s test as well.
I am interested in employment opportunities, live in northern California, and would be excited to learn more. Thankyou,
Terry L.Conley