Thousands of Census jobs remain open, Wake County offers some of the highest pay

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It happens one every decade, and Wake County leaders are pleading with residents to take part in the 2020 Census.

The survey can fund communities in a couple of ways. According to the federal census website, census data impacts funding for housing, education, transportation, employment, health care and public policy.

The latest data shows Wake County still needs more than 2,200 workers to help conduct the survey.

RELATED: Thousands of $15/hr jobs available ahead of 2020 Census in Triangle area

The pay varies from county-to-county., but workers can make $17 to $19 an hour in Wake, plus you'll get reimbursement for any miles you put on your car.

While Wake County doesn't administer the census, officials certainly have a stake in the game.

Wake County Planning Director Tim Maloney has several promotional items his team is ready to hand out.

There are buttons, pens, magnets, totes, and posters for our diverse community.

"We're doing as much as we can in Spanish language as well," he said.

The federal government uses the data from the census when doling out funds. The more people that fill out the survey, the more money Wake County can get.

"'Everyone counts' is a critical message in this," said Maloney. "As the population grows, the need for services in our community also grows and funding those services is needed."

More than $675 billion in federal funding will be divvied up between states.

"For North Carolina that can equate to upwards of $23 billion" said Maloney.

The money will then trickle down to counties, which is especially important for a rapidly growing place like Wake.

The county's population is up 21 percent from last time the census was done, and the number of woman is up more 50 percent.

Wake now has nearly 1.1 million residents. That means almost a tenth of the entire state's population lives in the county.

In the last fiscal budget, Wake got more than $30 million from the feds. Leaders hope the number rises with the new census.

"Those dollars are important," said Maloney. "It can funnel to a local transportation project, our municipalities, economic development, social services, health care and even education."

People should start getting notifications about the census in mid-March.

A special NCWorks Bus Tour will roll through Raleigh on Friday in an effort to fill these positions. The Wake County Complete Count Committee encourages interested candidates to stop by the Avent Ferry Shopping Center, 3215 Avent Ferry Road, any time between 12 p.m.and 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.

The bus is equipped with 10 computers so people can apply for jobs on the spot.