The 2020 census is less than three months away. Counting everyone who lives in the United States is a huge undertaking — and the U.S. Census Bureau needs everyone’s help to ensure a complete and accurate count.

Deputy Director for the U.S. Census Bureau Ron Jarmin met with San Diego State University’s board Jan. 6 to discuss how SDSU’s more than 8,000 students will be counted and how they can get involved. 

“We need students to know where they are going to be counted and let their parents know,” explained Jarmin. “This partnership with SDSU is ongoing, necessary and your added efforts with recruiting will help ensure we count everyone once, only once and in the right place.”

San Diego State University is working to raise awareness of the importance of the census and to help recruit people in the area to work for the 2020 census. The jobs are temporary, have flexible hours, and have a pay rate from $20 to $30 an hour. The job is so important and perfect for college students, that the SDSU Jumbotron near the Interstate 8 freeway currently blasts messages on how students can apply. 

Getting an accurate count for San Diego is important to the area’s future. Results of the 2020 census will be used to determine the number of seats California will hold in the U.S. House of Representatives. The data will also be used by federal organizations to determine how billions of dollars in federal funds are allocated by state, local, and federal lawmakers every year for the next 10 years for critical public services like hospitals and health care clinics, schools and education programs, roads and bridges, and emergency response.

SDSU is one of the Census Bureau’s many local partners who are raising awareness about the 2020 census. 

For more information on the 2020 census, please visit 2020census.gov and to apply online go to 2020census.gov/jobs