Enumerator Job Description

The US, Federal Government takes head count of the people living in US once in every ten years. This data helps the government in getting the accurate count of the number of people living in each area. The government uses this data in allocating resources like water, electricity, education facilities, etc., to the people. The US Census Bureau is involved in the process of calculation of the census of the country. People who are involved in the process of census calculation or who help the census bureau in the calculation of the actual number of heads living in each area are called enumerators. To know more about enumerator job description, read below.

Census is carried out by e-mails as well. Citizens are asked to fill an online form that contains complete family information and send it to the Census Bureau. Enumerators visit the houses of people who do not fill their online form and send their details. Enumerators are not required to travel long distances, they work in their own locality where they get the count of people living in each house and their details.

Job Responsibilities of an Enumerator:

An enumerator is simply responsible for getting the number of people in each family, their ages, sex and some other information that is asked to be filled in the forms they are handed. They are no way involved in interpretation and analysis of the statistical data that they collect.

A team of enumerators is assigned to each administrator and the administrator distributes work amongst these enumerators. He decides the area to which a particular enumerator has to visit and the number of houses he has to collect information from. The enumerator visits these houses and distributes forms amongst these houses. He assists the family members in filling the forms. Sometimes he himself fills the forms. He also analyzes for the authenticity of the information given by the family members by contacting each member of the family, face to face.

The collected reports are then handed to the administrators. If the enumerator is unable to contact a particular family at the first visit then he has to visit their house again and again until he gets a survey from them.

Skills Required in an Enumerator:

• Should have ability to speak English
• They should have good written and verbal communication skills and should speak politely to the people
• They should have ability to answer the questions and clear confusions of the people
• Physical stamina is also important as they have to walk visiting one house to other whole day
• Should be familiar with the area or the locality they are working in
• They should posses ability to handle pressure and should be patient

Requirements to Work as Enumerator:

Qualification is not a concern; one who has ability to read and write can work as an enumerator. High school diploma holders and graduates are preferred over others. The selection commission conducts a background check before hiring enumerators. Here are some of the other requirements for enumerators.

• Must be a US citizen and must be a legal permanent US resident
• Sometimes, non-residents who possess work visa are also hired if the Bureau is unable to find qualified people in a particular area
• Men or Women must be 18 years or more than 18 years old
• They should have a social security number and should also possess a driver's license
• Registration with the Selective Service is also required if an individual is born after December 31, 1959
• Must pass the background check conducted by the bureau

Census calculation is not a prolonged process, so the calculation lasts only for 4-5 months and hence the job of the enumerator is also not of a permanent type. It is a temporary job which lasts as long as the process of population calculation is not over and the Bureau does not complete survey of all the areas of the US states. The enumerators are provided a training of 4 days prior to the calculation process. Salaries paid to the enumerators depend entirely upon the location they are working in, and the enumerators are paid on weekly basis. For more details about the enumerator job description, contact us.