By Ron Smith
Richmond, KY – Higher pay may be the answer to finding more census takers for eastern Kentucky. The Census Bureau is increasing the salary for workers in the region by three dollars an hour; from $10.75 to $13.75 per hour.
Bureau spokesman Clay Barbour says about four-thousand census workers are needed in the Somerset region, which covers 24 counties in southeastern Kentucky.
Along with the salary boost, the Census Bureau hopes to attract people by temporarily waiving restrictions on earnings for those people enrolled in the Medicaid, food stamp and assistance for needy families programs. The door-to-door count begins May first.