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Watchdog: US Census Lacks Door Knockers Needed for 2020 Count

Associated Press

   ORLANDO, FLORIDA - The U.S. Census Bureau is short by more than 25% of
   the door knockers needed for the 2020 census, according to its watchdog
   agency, and it's about to let go of its least productive census takers.

   Both developments highlight persistent questions about whether the
   bureau has enough manpower to get a complete and accurate head count
   under an accelerated time frame preferred by the Trump administration.
   Bureau officials, though, say they are pleased with the progress made
   by census takers and are on pace to finish the job.

   The Office of Inspector General's alert this week says it's concerned
   about the bureau's ability to hire and retain workers, with six weeks
   left in the count that helps determine the distribution of $1.5
   trillion in federal spending and how many congressional seats and
   Electoral College votes each state gets.

   The bureau needed more than 300,000 census takers by the end of August,
   but by mid-month, just 220,000 census takers were trained and ready to
   start knocking on the doors of households that haven't yet responded to
   the census. Thirty-seven of the nation's 248 census offices aren't even
   halfway toward reaching their hiring goals, the office said.

   "Without taking timely action, the bureau is at risk of not conducting
   a complete and accurate 2020 Census," the memorandum from the Office of
   Inspector General said.

   The bureau acknowledges that more than a third of people hired to be
   census takers aren't showing up for either training or their
   assignments.

   Despite the greater-than-expected attrition, the bureau said it has
   increased productivity while aggressively training new workers to fill
   the slots of no-shows.

   The statistical agency is still recruiting and hiring census takers to
   fill the jobs of people who have dropped out over coronavirus fears or
   other concerns, and it's giving cash awards to the most experienced
   census takers.

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