Monthly Labor Review • March 2011 33

The 2010 Census and Employment

The 2010 Census: the employment

impact of counting the Nation

The 2010 Census count marked the addition

of 564,000 temporary, intermittent workers to payrolls; 

2010 Census hiring masked the underlying trends

in Current Employment Statistics estimates

Emily Richards

Emily Richards is an economist 

with the Current Employment 

Statistics program in the Office 

of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor 

Statistics. E-mail: richards.emily@

bls.gov

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau carries out a count of every resident in the United States, including 

Puerto Rico and the U.S. island territories, 

as mandated by the United States Constitution.1

 To accomplish this task, the Census 

Bureau hires a large number of temporary 

workers for short periods. As a result, some 

employment estimates from the Current 

Employment Statistics (CES) survey are affected.2

 Historically—and most recently in 

2010, a year following the end of one of the 

deepest U.S. recessions ever—the ability to 

accurately account for the impact of these 

temporary, intermittent census workers and 

gauge underlying employment trends has 

been vital.

During the most recent recession (between December 2007 and June 2009),3 employment in nonfarm establishments fell by 

7.5 million. Although the rate of job losses 

slowed in the second half of 2009, an additional 1.2 million jobs were cut by the end 

of that year. In 2010, employment growth 

resumed, and nearly 1 million positions 

were added to payrolls, about 13 percent of 

the jobs lost during the recession. Although 

employment did grow during the year, the 

effect of 2010 Census employment masked 

underlying trends within the economy on 

a month-to-month basis because a large 

number of workers were hired early in the 

year to work on the 2010 Census and then let go 

as work on the census wound down. (See chart 1.)

Census hiring

The 2010 Census involved several phases, in 

which thousands of temporary workers were 

hired. Each phase had an impact on some CES 

employment estimates. Initial hiring began in 

November 2008, about a year and a half prior to 

the official April 1, 2010, Census Day. Initially, 

workers were hired to canvass 145 million addresses.4

 Then, in early 2010, census forms were 

sent to all households, together with a request 

that they be returned by the April 1 deadline. 

Next, census workers followed up to canvass approximately 47 million households that had not 

returned the forms.5 Finally, a quality assurance 

phase ensured a complete count and verified the 

data that were collected.

Although hiring for the 2010 Census began 

in November 2008, the effects on payroll employment estimates were not apparent for several months. (See chart 2.) In April 2009, the 

2010 Census witnessed its first major hiring 

event, with 114,000 enumerators brought on for 

address canvassing. Workers went out into communities to physically verify every residence that 

appeared on the Census Bureau’s master address 

list. Enumerators verified addresses already on 

their list, deleted inaccurate data, added missing 

addresses to the list, and updated maps. The task 
The 2010 Census and Employment

34 Monthly Labor Review • March 2011

 Chart 2. Temporary, intermittent census workers’ level of employment, not seasonally adjusted,

November 2008–February 2011

Nov Jan Mar May July Sept Nov Jan Mar May July Sept Nov Jan 

Thousands Thousands

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

2008 2009 2010 2011

 Chart 1. Total nonfarm employment, seasonally adjusted, January 2008–February 2011 

Thousands Thousands

140,000

138,000

136,000

134,000

132,000

130,000

128,000

2008 2009 2010 2011

Total nonfarm excluding

temporary, intermittent 

census workers

Total nonfarm

140,000

138,000

136,000

134,000

132,000

130,000

128,000

Jan Apr July Oct Jan Apr July Oct Jan Apr July Oct Jan
Monthly Labor Review • March 2011 35

was carried out largely by workers going door to door.6

As the address-canvassing phase wrapped up over 

the next 2 months, so did the need for workers. The level 

of temporary, intermittent census workers fell to 4,000 

in July 2009 and remained relatively low for the next 7 

months.

In March 2010, hiring of temporary decennial census 

workers resumed, affecting CES employment estimates 

substantially. The level of temporary, intermittent census workers on payrolls reached 87,000. Employment 

levels grew rapidly over the next 2 months as hiring 

peaked in May 2010, with 564,000 temporary, intermittent census workers on payrolls.7 This employment 

peak marked the nonresponse follow-up phase, which 

began May 1, 2010.8 During this phase of the 2010 

decennial census, enumerators went door to door to 

interview occupants of households that had failed to 

return census forms.

Over the next 3 months (June through August), 

employment of temporary, intermittent census workers 

declined considerably as fewer workers were needed for 

quality assurance. This process involved reinterviewing 

some households to clarify information received on 

forms; verifying that housing units listed as vacant were, 

in fact, unoccupied as of April 1, 2010; and verifying the 

geographical locations of various addresses for which 

forms were completed and returned, but with an address that did not match the one on file.9

 By September 

2010, the level of temporary, intermittent census workers had fallen to 6,000.

Even fewer workers were needed once the data collection and followup phases were completed. Those 

workers who did remain on payrolls worked to process 

and tabulate results, which had to be delivered to the 

President by December 31, 2010.10 As of November 

2010, the employment effect of the decennial Census 

had ended for the year.11

Employment impact of the 2010 Census 

One must understand the magnitude of hiring for the 

2010 Census in order to distinguish underlying employment trends from this special activity that occurs 

just once every decade. The extensive staffing needed 

to carry out this short-term operation translated into 

a major, although temporary, impact on employment. 

The impact could be seen in employment estimates for 

a number of government and industry sectors: the total nonfarm sector; service-providing industries; government (as a whole); the Federal Government; Federal 

Government, except U.S. Postal Service; and other Federal 

Government. Changes were significant from month to month 

during the strongest hiring months and again as the temporary, 

intermittent census employees were laid off.

Data users could reference total private employment data for 

a picture of underlying U.S. employment trends that excluded 

the impact of fluctuating 2010 Census temporary employment. 

After losing jobs throughout 2008 and 2009, the private sector 

reached an employment trough in February 2010.12 Since then, 

the private sector added 1.2 million jobs in 2010.

Employment trends in the private sector, however, did not 

provide a complete picture. As the 2010 Census progressed, the 

hiring and laying off of temporary, intermittent census workers 

masked job changes occurring elsewhere within government. 

From November 2008 through November 2010,13 the Federal 

Government, excluding the impact of hiring for the 2010 Census, saw modest employment gains, with the addition of 69,000 

jobs. State government employment exhibited relatively small 

declines over the period, with 47,000 jobs lost. Local municipalities witnessed the bulk of the employment change during 

this time: the local government sector saw 298,000 positions 

cut, with losses accelerating in 2010. Chart 3 shows employment trends in government, excluding temporary, intermittent 

census workers, from 6 months before the census hiring began.

The 2000 and 2010 Censuses 

The 2000 Census provides a context for an understanding of 

hiring and layoffs for the 2010 Census. Both censuses followed a similar pattern of hiring and subsequent laying off of 

large numbers of workers. The Census Bureau first brought 

on temporary, intermittent workers for the 2000 Census in 

April 1998, 2 years before the official Census Day and a full 

7 months sooner than initial hiring for the 2010 operation. 

Employment levels remained relatively small for nearly 2 years 

before the 2000 Census Day, until 95,000 workers were added 

in March 2000.

As with the 2010 Census, hiring for the 2000 Census 

peaked in May 2000, at a level of 530,000 workers, just 34,000 

less than peak employment in May 2010. Employment then 

declined rapidly for both censuses. By September of both 2000 

and 2010, employment of temporary, intermittent workers had 

decreased by more than 95 percent from payroll levels observed 

during the peak month. (See table 1.) 

There were differences between the two censuses. For example, employment for the 2000 Census concluded in April 

2001, lasting 37 months, whereas the 2010 Census required 

about 30 months from start to finish.14 Also, during the 2010 

count, only short forms, containing just 10 questions focusing on collecting demographic information and counting the 
The 2010 Census and Employment

36 Monthly Labor Review • March 2011

population, were sent to every household. During the 2000 

Census, most households received the short form; however, about 1 in 6 addresses received long forms, which requested more detailed information, such as socioeconomic 

and housing characteristics. For the 2010 count, these long 

forms were replaced by the American Community Survey, 

an ongoing survey that is sent out monthly rather than once 

every decade.15 Furthermore, workers for the 2010 Census 

used hand-held global-positioning system devices. During 

address canvassing, these devices allowed workers to immediately upload coordinates of each individual living quarters 

to the Census Bureau’s master address list. This approach 

marked a change from the 2000 Census, as well as from 

all previous census counts, in which paper forms and maps 

were used. Although the 2000 and 2010 Censuses were 

similar in hiring patterns—following the same general employment trend of ramping up several months in advance 

of the official Census Day, peaking in May of the census 

year, and then declining sharply by year’s end—several differences in processing may have made the 2010 count more 

efficient.

TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT INCREASES in support of conducting the 2010 Census affected employment substantially. At the peak of activity, 564,000 temporary, intermittent workers were on payrolls before the 2010 Census was 

complete. Census hiring greatly affected Federal Government payrolls and obscured the underlying employment 

trends up through the aggregate of total nonfarm employment. It is important to understand the magnitude of 

2010 Census hiring in order to identify underlying trends 

in payroll employment.

Index 

(November 2008 = 100)

Index 

(November 2008 = 100)

 Chart 3. Index of Federal (excluding census), State, and local government employment during the 2010 

Census, seasonally adjusted, May 2008–February 2011 

–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

103

102

101

100

99

98

97

103

102

101

100

99

98

97

Federal, excluding census

State

Local

Months since hiring for the 2010 Census began
Monthly Labor Review • March 2011 37

Notes

1 See “One Year Out Facts/Statistics” (U.S. Census Bureau, no 

date), on the Internet at 2010.census.gov/news/press-kits/oneyear-out/about-one-year-out/one-year-out-facts-statistics.html

(visited Mar. 8, 2011). The census will include everyone living in “all 

50 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, the Commonwealth of 

the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.” People will be counted at their usual place of residence on 

April 1, 2010. An accurate census count is necessary for many reasons. 

First and foremost, the population within a State determines the number of seats which that State holds within the U.S. House of Representatives. But also, the information obtained from the census is used 

to determine how Federal funding is spent on hospitals, job training 

centers, schools, senior centers, public-works projects, and emergency 

services. (See “Why It’s Important” (U.S. Census Bureau, no date), on 

the Internet at 2010.census.gov/2010census/about/why-important.

php (visited Mar. 8, 2011). )

2 The Current Employment Statistics (CES) program is a 

monthly survey of about 140,000 businesses and government agencies representing approximately 440,000 individual worksites. For 

Decennial temporary, intermittent workers, employment level and over-the-month change,1 not seasonally 

adjusted, 1990, 1998–2001, and 2008–11

[in thousands]

Year January February March April May June July August September October November December

1990

Level........ 4 15 68 153 335 251 179 81 44 27 19 13

Change... +4 +11 +53 +85 +182 –84 –72 –98 –37 –16 –8 –7

1998

Level........ – – – 1 3 3 2 14 12 29 41 20

Change... – – – +1 +2 0 –1 +12 –3 +17 +12 –22

1999

Level........ 23 40 38 22 8 9 11 17 18 11 13 15

Change... +4 +17 –2 –16 –14 +1 +2 +6 +1 –7 +1 +2

2000

Level........ 32 59 154 181 530 305 232 146 24 11 6 1

Change... +17 +27 +95 +28 +348 –225 –73 –86 –122 –12 –6 –4

2001

Level........ 2 2 1 – – – – – – – – –

Change... +1 0 –1 – – – – – – – – –

2008

Level........ – – – – – – – – – – 1 3

Change... – – – – – – – – – – +1 +2

2009

Level........ 5 6 12 126 69 9 4 5 8 17 13 15

Change... +2 +2 +5 +114 –57 –60 –5 +1 +3 +9 –4 +2

2010

Level........ 24 39 87 154 564 339 196 82 6 1 0 0

Change... +9 +15 +48 +66 +411 –225 –143 –114 –77 –5 –1 0

2011

Level........ 1 3 – – – – – – – – – –

Change.. +1 +2 – – – – – – – – – –

1 Sum of previous month's level and over-the-month change may not 

equal next month's level because of rounding. 

NOTE: Dash indicates that no temporary, intermittent workers were

counted on payrolls.

Table 1.
The 2010 Census and Employment

38 Monthly Labor Review • March 2011

more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see 

“Technical Notes to Establishment Data Published in Employment 

and Earnings” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mar. 4, 2011), on 

the Internet at www.bls.gov/web/empsit.supp.toc.htm#technote

(visited Jan. 11, 2011). To access CES data, see “Current Employment Statistics – CES (National)” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 

no date), on the Internet at www.bls.gov/ces (visited Jan. 11, 2011). 

The CES data used in this article are seasonally adjusted unless otherwise noted.

3 Recessions are identified by the National Bureau of Economic 

Research (NBER). According to the NBER, the most recent recession 

began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. The previous two 

recessions were, respectively, from March 2001 to November 2001 and 

from July 1990 to March 1991. (See “U.S. Business Cycle Expansions 

and Contractions” (National Bureau of Economic Research, Sept. 20, 

2010), on the Internet at www.nber.org/cycles/cyclesmain.html (visited Mar. 8, 2011).)

4 See “Address Canvassing Facts/Statistics” (U.S. Census Bureau, 

Oct. 21, 2010), on the Internet at 2010.census.gov/news/presskits/one-year-out/address-canvasing/address-canvassing-factsstatistics.html (visited Mar. 8, 2011). 

5 See “Nation Achieves 74 Percent Final Mail Participation in 2010 

Census” (U.S. Census Bureau, Oct. 21, 2010), on the Internet at 2010.

census.gov/news/releases/operations/final-mail-participation.html

(visited Mar. 8, 2011). 

6 “Address Canvassing Facts/Statistics.”

7 A peak is reached in the month in which the employment estimate changes from positive to negative. For example, during the 2010 

Census, employment in the series continued to expand through its 

high in May before declining in June.

 8 See “ Nonresponse Follow-Up: Electronic Press Kit” (U.S. Census Bureau, no date), on the Internet at 2010.census.gov/news/pdf/

EPK_NRFU_FINAL.pdf (visited Mar. 8, 2011). 

 9 See “Non-response Follow Up Category: Quality Assurance and 

The 2010 Census” (U.S. Census Bureau, June 9, 2010), on the Internet 

at blogs.census.gov/2010census/non-response-follow-up/page/2 (visited Mar. 8, 2011). 

10 See “What You Can Do: Stay Involved and Informed” (U.S. Census Bureau, no date), on the Internet at 2010.census.gov/2010census/

involved/index.php (visited Mar. 8, 2011). 

11 The year 2011 marked the final phases of the Census Coverage 

Measurement Program, which entailed bringing on a relatively small 

number of employees for several months to review the effectiveness of the 

2010 Census count. At the time of publication of this article, the program 

had gone on for 28 months, from November 2008 to February 2011. 

(See “2010 Census Frequently Asked Questions: It’s in Our Hands” (U.S. 

Census Bureau, May 10, 2010), on the Internet at 2010.census.gov/

partners/pdf/2010_TQA_Agent_FAQs_english.pdf (visited Mar. 14, 

2011); and www.census.gov/coverage_measurement (visited Mar. 14, 

2011).)

12 A trough is reached in the month in which employment changes 

from negative to positive. For example, total private employment continued to decline until February 2010, when it reached a low point, 

after which it began to increase.

13 November 2010 was the first time that hiring for the 2010 Census reached zero since the process began.

14 See note 11.

15 See “2010 Census: It’s in Our Hands” (U.S. Census Bureau, no 

date), on the Internet at 2010.census.gov/partners/pdf/2010_acs_

dropin.pdf (visited Mar. 8, 2011).