Census Bureau appeals for student applicants

Though student jobs remain scarce across the country, one agency is still desperate for student workers: the United States Census Bureau.

As a vast majority of the positions are part-time, jobs with the Census Bureau are ideal for college students because they would be able to secure a manageable job with a very competitive salary, Boston University Director of the Student Employment Office Mary Ann French said.

“These short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours, paid training and reimbursement for authorized work-related expenses, such as mileage incurred while conducting census work,” the U.S. Census Bureau website says. “Best of all, census takers [sic] work right in their own communities.”

The website states being a local census-taker entails “locating households, explaining the purpose of the census, conducting brief personal interviews and record responses.”

Census-takers in Boston will earn $22.75 an hour. In Washington, D.C., the pay is $20 an hour. In Long Island, N.Y, it is $18 an hour, and in Los Angeles it is $17 an hour.
French says there is a lot of potential in the idea of students taking on census jobs.

“These jobs are a viable option for students who want to make some quick cash,” she said. “They are part-time and offer flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, which is great for students with busy schedules. Also, the pay rate is quite high.”

French said the Census Bureau has already sought out BU students in particular for the 3,750 positions it has left to fill.

Students would also be reimbursed if they had to drive or take public transportation on the job, she said.

“The position is currently listed on the Student Employment Job Board,” she said. “The Census Bureau has also posted flyers and brochures at several locations across campus.”
In regard to the popularity of the census jobs among BU students, French was unsure of exact numbers but maintained that “the employer, our U.S. Census Bureau contact, has indicated that a good number of students have shown interest.”

College of Communication freshman Hannah Brown, the campus progressive coordinator of BU College Democrats, said she has seen the Census Bureau’s advertising on campus and is concerned about their difficulty in filling positions.

“They are having a really hard time getting workers in places where the information they provide will be most important,” she said.

Data gathered in the census helps determine how funding is allocated to cities and towns. The more people who respond accurately to the census, the more resources the city may be given for facilities students commonly use, such as public transportation.

Brown said she thinks more students should take an interest in getting involved because the census will have an effect on students.

“The counting affects funding for schools and other public works projects in the area,” she said. “It’s important to have accurate numbers in order to get the funding that the area needs.”

The census asks people to fill it out based on the place in which they reside for the majority of the year, meaning that even if students here call a different place home, they should fill the survey out as though they were permanent residents of Boston.

“Because Boston is such a big college town, the numbers are underrepresented because a lot of students don’t fill out their census forms here,” Brown said. “We end up showing the population of Boston as smaller than it really is. Because the process is so important, these jobs need to be filled.”

Other students, however, say theywould be most interested in the jobs’ high pay if they were to apply.

“I probably wouldn’t be interested, but I guess if I didn’t have another job I’d go for it because it pays well,” said School of Management sophomore Cristina Mata.

“Maybe I’ll go for it,” said College of Arts and Sciences freshman Benjamin Rosen. “I could use the money.”

Meaghan Beatley contributed reporting to this article.