With the 2020 Census beginning in just a few weeks, hundreds of workers are still needed in Marion County.

Census officials said that just over 900 short-term, part-time workers are needed for the job, and only about 400 of those positions having been filled as of press time. Dreama Pritt, media specialist for the Census Bureau in West Virginia, said the county still has a great need in that area.

Marion County is one of the counties where we need a few more applications, so were giving people the opportunity to do that, Pritt said. Its a great part-time job with flexible hours. You get paid mileage, and here in Marion County, you get paid $17 per hour, so thats a pretty good deal.

The bureau held a hiring event at the Marion County Board of Education last week in hopes to raise the number of workers, although many more are still needed.

For the first time ever, citizens can now complete their census forms online or over the phone, but the need for door-to-door workers is as important as ever, according to Brett White, executive director of the United Way of Marion and Taylor Counties.

Without the people being able to go door-to-door, it leaves a huge gap in the census, White said. It starts with the people who fill it out online and the people who return it through the mail. But for every person who didnt do it through one of those two, we have to go visit their homes. Thats why the numerators become such a crucial part of it. They have to go visit every home that hasnt filled out the form to try to keep our numbers accurate and counted.

Pritt said taking part in the census, which takes place nationwide at the start of every decade, is an important part of ones responsibilities as an American citizen, and the numbers mean much more than most people realize.

The census is mandated by the Constitution, which says that every 10 years, we will count every person who lives in the United States, Pritt said.

It affects so many things. Every part of your life is touched by census numbers from roads and schools and hospitals to nonprofit grants and political redistricting and the local, state and federal levels.

Its so important. Our main goal as the Census Bureau is to count everyone once, only once and at the right place. There are $675 billion annually of federal monies that are distributed entirely based on census numbers, so if you miss just one person, its a significant impact to the community, Pritt said.

White shared her sentiment.

It derives over $6 billion of funding that comes into West Virginia, White said. Without an accurate count, we lose money for daycares, libraries and highways. Every aspect of our lives is tied to census numbers. Our representation in Washington is tied to the census, so were already on the cusp of losing a House seat. If our census numbers are inaccurate and go down, we could lose a member of Congress. People dont realize that its tied to everything the government brings back into West Virginia.

Both Pritt and White encouraged those willing and able to reach out to the bureau to apply for a position, saying that not only is the work done on ones own terms, but its crucial to helping ones community.

Its a fantastic opportunity if youre looking for part-time, short-term work, White said. Its a great opportunity to work your own hours. You get to work by yourself and youll be doing a lot of traveling. Its just a great opportunity to do something larger while also have an employment option.

Fairmont News Editor John Mark Shaver can be reached at 304-844-8485 or jshaver@theet.com.

Fairmont News Editor John Mark Shaver can be reached at 304-844-8485 or jshaver@theet.com.

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Marion Co. WV, still in great need of census workers - WV News