Address listers are responsible for visiting neighborhoods and verifying addresses in the Census’ Master Address File (MAF) in preparation for the 2020 Count. The Census Bureau will hire approximately half of the 160,000 in-field canvassers that it hired during the 2010 Census due to budget cuts, as well as innovations in satellite imaging. For the 2020 Census, address listers will be deployed to verify areas that have been flagged by the Census Bureau as needing review, which it approximates will constitute 30 percent of Census blocks.
Hiring local address listers is an important step to ensuring a complete and accurate count, which affects a state’s redistricting, political representation, and federal funding. In hard-to-count communities, address listers who live locally are able to identify hidden housing units — such as converted garages and unpermitted in-law units — that may go unnoticed by someone outside the community.
Candidates must be U.S. citizens 18 years or older and be able to pass a federal background check. Bilingual candidates are highly desired. Veterans may also be eligible for preferential hiring.
As address canvassers, candidates can expect to:
Working as an address canvasser is a valuable opportunity for development. It pays well (from $12 up to $30/hour depending on the county), builds technological literacy, and reliable canvassers may be employed again to work as enumerators for the Census. Address canvassers may also be eligible for dislocated worker benefits after their role ends.
In-field address canvasser job application open at https://recruitment.2020census.gov/
Paid online and in-person training
In-field address canvassing begins
Counties, cities, local nonprofits, and community-based organizations should support the recruitment of qualified address canvassers. The more that local entities can source, engage, and retain a robust pipeline of candidates, the more successful their count will ultimately be.
The Census Bureau estimates that it needs anywhere from a 5:1 to a 10:1 candidate-to-hire ratio due to the long application timeline and candidate attrition, which makes candidate recruitment even more urgent.
We offer tools and services to support local Census staff recruitment strategies.
