Census clerk education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a census clerk. Census clerks usually study business, psychology, or sociology. 61% of census clerks hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 180 real census clerk resumes to see exactly what census clerk education sections show.

The most common colleges for census clerks are the Bridgewater College and the Bridgewater College.

There are also many online census clerk courses to help get the education required to be a census clerk.

What education do you need to become a census clerk?

What degree do you need to be a census clerk?

The most common degree for census clerks is bachelor's degree, with 61% of census clerks earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 13%

High School Diploma, 12%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become a census clerk?

You should major in business to become a census clerk. 17% of census clerks major in business. Other common majors for a census clerk include psychology and sociology.

Business, 17%

Psychology, 10%

Sociology, 8%

Accounting, 8%

Other Majors, 57%

Most common colleges for census clerks

Census clerks often get their degrees at Bridgewater College, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, and Antelope Valley College. Here are the most common colleges for census clerks in the US based on their resumes.

Census clerk common college	Percentages
Bridgewater College	10.00%
Iowa State University of Science and Technology	6.67%
Antelope Valley College	6.67%
Pace University	6.67%
Kansas Wesleyan University	6.67%

Show more common census clerk colleges

Best majors for census clerks

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	16.7%
2	Psychology	9.7%
3	Sociology	8.3%
4	Accounting	8.3%
5	Communication	6.9%

Show more common census clerk majors

Best colleges for census clerks

The best colleges for census clerks are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Northwestern University.

A census clerk with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for census clerks. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become census clerks.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

5. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

6. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,464

Enrollment

9,639

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

20 best online courses for census clerks

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Top 10 most affordable universities for census clerks

The most affordable schools for census clerks are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.

If the best universities for census clerks are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for census clerks.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

4. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

7. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for census clerks

The hardest universities for census clerks to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Boston College, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for census clerks are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for census clerks based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

9. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for census clerks

The easiest schools for census clerks to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, d'youville college, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a census clerk without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for census clerks.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

9. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

10. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

Average census clerk salary by education level

According to our data, census clerks with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $36,017 annually. Census clerks with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $35,795.

Census clerk education level	Census clerk salary
Master's Degree	$35,795
High School Diploma or Less	$35,636
Bachelor's Degree	$36,017
Some College/ Associate Degree	$35,685

Census clerk education FAQs

What is the best college for Census Clerks?

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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