Census taker vs survey worker

The differences between census takers and survey workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a census taker and a survey worker. Additionally, a survey worker has an average salary of $41,704, which is higher than the $38,585 average annual salary of a census taker.

Census taker vs survey worker overview

	Census Taker	Survey Worker
Yearly salary	$38,585	$41,704
Hourly rate	$18.55	$20.05
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	1,153	21,592
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

Census taker vs survey worker salary

Census takers and survey workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Census Taker	Survey Worker
Average salary	$38,585	$41,704
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $68,000	Between $28,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between census taker and survey worker education

There are a few differences between a census taker and a survey worker in terms of educational background:

	Census Taker	Survey Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Census taker vs survey worker demographics

Here are the differences between census takers' and survey workers' demographics:

	Census Taker	Survey Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 38.2% Female, 61.8%	Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.3% White, 57.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between census taker and survey worker duties and responsibilities

Census taker example responsibilities.

Follow GPS locations to specific homes en route.
Use handheld GPS pinpoint navigation mapping system to input data for all addresses that exist or no longer exist.
Select to work on subsequent quality control operation along with other top enumerators.
Enter applicant data into DAPPS computer.

Survey worker example responsibilities.

Experience in civil land development design using LLD.
Ride the bus counting passengers getting on and off.
Ride city bus /Trains and ask riders a few questions about their ride that day
Assist patients in application process for medical programs and screen for appropriate medical coverage eligibility available through state programs.
Facilitate monthly community meetings to ascertain interests of community members; provide PowerPoint presentations, showing progress of various initiatives.

Census taker vs survey worker skills

Common census taker skills

Confidentiality Laws, 13%
Census Bureau, 13%
Paper Forms, 10%
US Census, 8%
Conduct Interviews, 8%
Customer Service, 7%

Common survey worker skills

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Updated January 8, 2025

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