Chatham County will be one of the first to receive the U.S. Census Bureau's new bilingual questionnaire.
The bureau is testing the questionnaire for the 2010 census in Chatham and eight other counties in the area surrounding Fayetteville.
Rapid growth of the national Spanish-speaking population prompted the bureau to make the change.
Bureau spokeswoman Stacy Gimbel said the counties in North Carolina were selected for a variety of reasons.
"They're a good cross section of diversity points," she said. "They also have a significant Spanish-speaking population."
According to the 2000 census, 12.5 percent of the national population is Latino, compared to 9 percent in 1990. That proportion is expected to be significantly larger in the 2010 census.
North Carolina's Latino population is believed to have grown 54.9 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the Census Bureau's population estimates.
San Joaquin, Calif., the only other county selected for the census rehearsal, was chosen for similar reasons, Gimbel said.
"We're interested in the different challenges that come from trying to count people from all walks of life across the country," Gimbel said.
Already in progress, the dress rehearsal is a chance to work out the kinks in the census procedure.
"It gives us an opportunity to see how well the pieces are fitting together," Gimbel said. "It's sort of us practicing."
The bureau also will use hand-held computers to collect data for the first time in 2010.
Although participating counties receive some early information about their population, Gimbel said the temporary jobs the rehearsal provides are one of the major benefits.
Despite an early worker shortage, Chatham County census officials said they will have no problem filling the more than 300 temporary positions needed for the practice run.
Laura McClettie, partnership specialist for the Fayetteville office, said jobs are beginning to fill more quickly.
"We've gotten quite a few calls, and we're prepared to bring workers from other counties," she said.
The 300 jobs provided in Chatham are a fraction of the more than 3,000 temporary paid census positions in North Carolina across participant counties of Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond and Scotland.
If Chatham residents do not return their questionnaires after a second reminder in mid-May, workers will be knocking on doors to record the information. The bureau expects a 65 percent response rate by mail.
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