In a Downtown office filled with maps but only partially staffed, local officials, community organizations and U.S. Census Bureau staff gathered Wednesday to mark the launch of 2020 Census operations in Memphis.

The city will serve as the base of operations for Shelby County and 10 neighboring counties during the count of the entire U.S. population which occurs every 10 years — commencing online March 23 and in the streets in April.

At its peak, a regional Census manager said the office will be buzzing around the clock, supporting field workers as they gather surveys from residents.

Mayor Jim Strickland was the first of many speakers to encourage applications for the temporary jobs, which will pay workers $22 per hour and supervisors $26 after the completion of a background check, in addition to reimbursement for mileage and expenses.

The bureau estimates it needs 9,000 applications on hand from the 10-county Memphis area to fulfill the labor need. The exact number to be hired will depend on initial response rates after surveys begin to arrive by mail in homes in mid-March. Those interested can fill out applications online at www.2020census.gov/jobs.

For Malcolm Baker, a 21-year military veteran, on his first week in the Memphis office as a regional technician, Census work is more than a job, especially given its far-reaching implications.

Each survey will ultimately inform the amount of federal funding allocated, or not, to Memphis. The population figures that result from a tally of all surveys gathered also determine the number of U.S. Representatives allocated each state.

Among the more than 300 federal programs in 2017 that distributed $1.5 trillion in funding based on 2010 Census data, according to a George Washington University study are: The Head Start pre-school program; Medicaid; small business and economic development grants for urban and rural areas; housing assistance for seniors and people with disabilities and low incomes; water and waste system assistance; and pollution protection grants.

"It's one of our civic duties that we need to do," said Baker, a Bartlett resident. "We need to participate in the Census. We need to participate in jury trials. And we need to vote."

Addressing participation anxiety

Memphis, like all municipalities, has a complete count committee in place to lead the 2020 Census effort. The committee is comprised of around 60 people from Memphis and Shelby County government agencies and partnering organizations, including community groups such as Latino Memphis.

Nidia Logan-Robinson, the deputy division director of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, is chair of the committee.

She said that members have agreed on three guiding goals: Equity; advancing democracy; and fair representation. To that end, the committee will support efforts to include those that the Census has traditionally found hard to count — people without stable housing, small children and their caregivers and people afraid to participate.

The Census and your community: What do you want to know?

As the 2020 Census unfolds, reporter Sarah Macaraeg will be doing a special series of stories looking at Memphis through the lens of existing Census Bureau data, which offers a wealth of insights into the socio-economic forces that shape our everyday lives. We want to take our lead from you for this series. Email sarah.macaraeg@commercialappeal.com with ideas and/or questions, using “Census” in the subject line.

The 2020 Census launch comes months after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration's efforts to include a citizenship question on Census surveys, which would have decreased the response rate in immigrant households by 8% according to bureau analysts.

Federal law protects identifiable Census responses from any release, including to law enforcement, with violations punishable with up to five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

"Your answers can only be used to produce statistics—they cannot be used against you in any way," a Census fact sheet reads.

Still, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris said he understands why some may feel trepidation.

"I think we see a lot of disruption going on in a negative way in Washington, D.C., right now and people are a little bit anxious. I think there has been more division than people are comfortable with," Harris said, adding that the Census Bureau has a long track record of upholding confidentiality.

"I think people can place their faith in that fact, that longevity," he said.

Logan-Robinson said she encourages those skeptical to consider the empowering aspects of participation.

"We live with the results of our local count for a 10-year period," she said. "Being counted magnifies the impact of your vote. Because you have equal and fair representation ... it magnifies your ability to advocate for the needs of your community and your neighborhood because you are sure you have the federal dollars coming back to your city, your county and your neighborhood that you rightly deserve. It amplifies your place in the democracy."

'Every neighborhood ... every street'

Meanwhile, both Harris and Strickland said, a proper accounting of the local population is desperately needed.

The city of Memphis has been involved in 2020 Census preparation for two years and at $300,000, the city has committed more money to assist in the counting efforts than any other municipality in the state, a bureau representative said while introducing Strickland at the event Wednesday.

"For a city and county I think that is really in need of federal funding — and we have so many needs, from education to transit to housing to infrastructure — we need every dime from the federal government that we can possibly get," Strickland said.

That's why the administration and city council agreed to put money behind the count, he said.

"We're gonna be in every neighborhood, down every street to try to get people to participate," Strickland said.

Harris said he believes there's been growth in the region, which needs to be reflected in spending at the federal level in general — and specifically in regard to investment in public transit.

"Us being able to show that this is an urban county; show that people have a desire to get to work; show that people don't have access to transportation — all of that comes out of the Census," Harris said.

"That stuff helps us to make the case to the federal government that now is the time to invest in transit."

Sarah Macaraeg is an award-winning journalist who writes investigations, features and the occasional news story for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at sarah.macaraeg@commercialappeal.com, 901-426-4357 or on Twitter @seramak.