Workers training for 2010 Census

About 54 people, hired temporarily to collect information for the 2010 Census, spent the week in training and will begin work on Monday in Carson City.

The state demographer is urging residents to comply by filling out the necessary forms.

"The national census is only taken once a decade, so it's extremely important that we get an accurate count," said Jeff Hardcastle, the Nevada State Demographer based on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. "Every person missed costs the state more than $900 in federal funding. That can really add up."

Frank Weiss, manager for Nevada's census office, said more than 11,000 people applied for the census jobs statewide. For this first phase, he said, 1,500 workers were hired.

Throughout the entire process, about 5,000 people will be given temporary jobs across the state, he said.

The first phase begins Monday with temporary census workers canvassing neighborhoods to check for the accuracy of addresses provided by local governments. This will continue through most of the summer.

That information will be compiled, along with other information collected in the fall on group housing, such as college dorms and senior retirement homes.

Then, next spring, the census, or "short form," will be mailed to residents.

"It's imperative that people fill out these short forms and return them," Hardcastle said. "The less follow-up we have to do to attain accurate information, the less it costs us to take the census."

He said the survey could have far-reaching implications.

"Given the remarkable growth Nevada has experienced over the last decade, an accurate count this census year can really benefit our state," Hardcastle said. "Growth means more representation in Congress and more per-capita dollars."

Hardcastle said at least six follow-up attempts will be made to contact those who fail to return their forms. The form that is mailed to each address asks for basic information, and the government pays for the return postage.

The form asks for each resident's name and relationship, age, race, sex, ethnicity and whether the home is owned or rented.