BILOXI — Of the 1.5 million people to be hired nationwide for the 2010 census, at least 75,000 will come from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

The U.S. Census Bureau is securing and setting up offices and getting managers trained, said Kat Smith, a media specialist in the Dallas regional office of the bureau.

They will be recruiting workers in late August through Dec. 31, 2010, she said. The average pay rate for this area will be $14.50 an hour.

The first workers hired will be checking addresses to make sure someone lives at each address because of the changes in the area since Hurricane Katrina, Smith said.

The survey process begins, and could end, with a 10-question form sent to the most accurate addresses available on April 1. If the questionnaire isn’t returned, enumerators start knocking on doors “to remind folks to fill out the form” or replace misplaced or trashed forms, Smith said.

“It’s important for them to fill out the form,” she said.

The statistics gained from the census questionnaires assist governmental agencies in the task of divvying up $300 billion a year used for infrastructure, roads and programs, she said.

“People who don’t get counted hurt themselves. They hurt their community,” she said.

Smith said many people avoid the census questionnaires every 10 years because they feel it’s an invasion of privacy, like Big Brother is watching, but that’s not the case.

“It’s about getting the dynamics of an area,” she said. “So many services are supported by the numbers. When they toss it, it’s like tossing money out the window.”

The form has been shortened to just 10 questions.

“Take 10 minutes and it affects the next 10 years of your life,” she said.

With the information gathered through the questions, city planners know where roads should be constructed or where schools and parks should be built. Businesses use the statistics to decide where to invest their money, she said.

In Mississippi, a congressional seat could be added if census numbers enlarge.

“In order for you to have a voice to speak for you in the House, the numbers need to be there,” she said.

Mississippi needs to improve its 67 percent response rate from the 2000 census, Smith said.

Money still available for post-Katrina rebuilding could potentially be lost based on information received through the census results, she said.

Once the information is compiled, the statistics will be given first to President Barack Obama on Dec. 31, 2010.

Not even the president sees the individual data from those supplying information, Smith said.

Posted at www.sunherald.com on July 4, 2009