IRONTON — Want to make a difference and earn a few bucks along the way?

The U.S. Census Bureau plans on hiring temporary workers from throughout Lawrence County to help conduct the 2010 census.

The federal agency says it is hiring part-time census takers within Lawrence County to conduct brief personal interviews, help neighbors complete questionnaires and record responses on paper forms.

Other jobs currently in need of workers include crew leaders, crew leader assistants and field operations supervisors. Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply.

Field staff positions pay between $10.75-$19.50 per hour while office staff positions pay between $8.25-$17 per hour.

Interested candidates are required to attend a training session and then pass a test based on that training. Those who pass will be entered into a pool of qualified applicants.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Regional office in Detroit, most of the jobs that need to be filled will be considered “non-response, follow-up” jobs.

Those people are responsible for going door-to-door to get information from people who fail to answer surveys mailed to their homes.

The Detroit office oversees all 2010 census activity in Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan.

Local officials have repeatedly said the 2010 Census will be a critical one for Lawrence County, where population loss and low response rates increase the possibility of a decrease in federal funding to the county.

During the summer, Lawrence County Commissioners started the ball rolling on a countywide census committee geared to increase the response rate from county residents.

They cited response rates in the mid 50 percentile for large portions of the county back in 2000 compared to a statewide average of 72 percent.

Primary recruiting will take place this fall and winter, with the bulk of hiring done in the spring of 2010.

Those interested can call (866) 861-2010 or visit www.census.gov/detroit to apply.