FARGO — Starting next week, on Thursday, July 30, or there about, census takers will begin knocking on doors across North Dakota in an effort to reach people who have not responded to the 2020 Census.
The number of households involved is approximately 157,000, or about 38% of all households in the state, according to Dennis Johnson, deputy regional director for the U.S. Census Bureau.
"Our goal is to get information from every one of those households," Johnson said, adding: "We will definitely make an attempt and in fact we have procedures to make a number of attempts at each household to reach individuals."
He said a typical interaction with in-person visits likely will involve a census taker knocking on a door and then stepping away from the door if someone answers, in keeping with social distancing protocols.
The census worker will then read about 10 questions from a smart phone they carry and input the answers into the phone, Johnson said, adding it usually takes a few minutes for the entire interaction.
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In response to the coronavirus pandemic, all census takers are being trained on social distancing protocols and they are required to wear masks while conducting their work, according to the Census Bureau, which notes that if anyone has concerns about the identity of a census worker the following steps should be taken:
First, check to make sure the census worker has a valid ID badge, with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date.
If someone still has questions about a census worker's identity, they can contact the North Dakota state operations office to speak with a Census Bureau representative. The phone number is 701-561-5508.
If census workers don't find people home, they will leave material behind that people can use to complete the census questionnaire on their own, according to Johnson, who said if no response is still forthcoming, additional attempts will be made to find people at home.
Households may still avoid a home visit from a census worker by completing and mailing back the paper questionnaire they received, or by responding online at www.2020census.gov , or by phone at 844-330-2020.
So far, about 62% of North Dakota households have responded to the census, which is close to the response rate nationwide.
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Minnesota leads the country in census response with about 72%
In North Dakota, Burleigh County is seeing the highest census response rate with about 75%, followed by Morton County with nearly 70%.
To view the latest response rates around the country go to: www.2020census.gov/en/response-rates.
The Census Bureau is still looking for workers across the entire western part of the state and in counties that contain tribal lands.
Census taker positions pay from $18-$21 an hour.
People interested may apply online at www.2020censu.gov/jobs .
