For almost the past five years, I’ve been working for the U.S. Census Bureau.
After my retirement from the education field in June 2020, I began working as a Field Representative with the bureau to help conduct the decennial count. Commonly known as “The Census”, this survey, conducted every 10 years in the year that ends with 0, is what almost everyone thinks of when you mention the Census Bureau. I understand, because up until that time, I thought the same.
During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I was assigned through a government issued cellphone, addresses all over South Texas and the Coastal Bend to visit and conduct the decennial count. Of course, these address had already been provided materials allowing them to complete the survey either by paper to mail back in or on-line, but the residents of these addresses had not completed the survey by the deadline. It was my and thousands of other field representatives job to go out into the community, the cites, towns and rural areas to meet personally with individuals and gather the demographic information required by the Decennial Count survey. It was tough work but it was also fun–getting out into the community and visiting with people from all walks of life.
After the Decennial Count survey had been completed, I was hired to help conduct another survey conducted by the bureau–the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). What??!? The Census Bureau operated year round in all of the other years besides the year that ended with 0? As it turns out, the bureau gathers all manner of data and statistics about a variety of subjects.
My new survey, the NCVS, has been in place since 1971 and gathers crime statistics at the national, state and local levels. It’s a small sample survey meaning that not very many addresses are selected, usually a cluster of 4 in a neighborhood. Through personal interview, the Field Representative approaches the residents of the randomly selected address and conducts a personal interview asking a series of questions about theft, break-ins, vandalism, and physical attacks for the past six months. The data is safely transported to the Bureau of Justice Statistics within the Department of Justice where they it is compiled, published, analyzed and provided to policy makers and community makers with the intention of determining what crimes are being committed where and with the further intention of putting resources where resources are needed to help make our neighborhoods and communities safer.
After a year or so, I added a new survey to my list of tasks, the American Community Survey (ACS). This survey is also a small sample survey (only a few residents are randomly selected) that collects data on who lives in our communities, what kind of housing they have, what types of jobs they have, what types of insurances they have etc. Prior to 2010, this survey, the ACS, was attached to the Decennial Count and was known as the “Long Form” that only a few residents were randomly selected to complete. After 2010, it was removed from the Decennial Count and now stands alone as the ACS.
I have enjoyed my time working part time for the U.S. Census Bureau but I am ready to retire from that as well. I have a 10 month old grandson and twin granddaughters on the way and so I want to be available to provide support to my family.
Peace Out Census Bureau!
The Retired Rambler 