The constitution demands a count of every American. It happens every ten years. The census is important to the area -- because federal dollars are frequently tied to those numbers. But who is going out to count those heads?

After making a trip to the Department of Economic Security Thursday, Omar Johansen of Tucson says he’s open to the idea.

“I've been doing a bunch of like labor stuff and temporary stuff,” Johansen said. “You know, I just can't seem to get a full time job right now.”

Marsha Merkel is in the same predicament. "I am unemployed,” Merkel said.

But there's another thing the two have in common.

“Well I was checking out that census thing right here that they got going on and maybe I'll look into that,” said Johansen.

Both say they're among the 4,000 applicants looking to latch on to one of the 12-hundred jobs available with the U.S. Census Bureau in the Tucson area.

“Even though it's not a permanent position, I at the time, would take anything until I found a permanent position,” Merkel said.

Census officials say the job only last about six to eight weeks, but most of the positions pay about $13.75 an hour.

Many people will hit the streets and start checking addresses in the Spring, while some will work at the local census office in Downtown Tucson.

 “And of course if the individuals do a great job, then most likely they will continue on from one operation to the next,” said Tucson census office manager Jesse Niño.

Thursday a group of local leaders gathered at the downtown office to kick off Southern Arizona's 2010 census, although workers won't physically start counting people until next year.

“Every individual that is here on April the 10th 2010 counts,” Niño said.
It does not matter whether they're a citizen or not.”

Omar Johansen said he hopes to be one of the people to help contribute to the counting process.

“It sounds like a pretty good opportunity for people like me that are unemployed right now,” he said.