Photo by George Lauby Manager Vic Gentry in the U.S. Census office in downtown North Platte.

The U.S. Census office opened three weeks ago in downtown North Platte with the goal of counting every person from a line east of Grand Island to the western border of Nebraska.

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That area covers 52 counties and 55,000 square miles, Census office manager Vic Gentry said.

It will take 1,000 employees. Hiring will continue until mid-January and census work begins in earnest in March and finish in October.

Questionnaires will be mailed to residents in the five major cities of Scottsbluff, North Platte, Kearney, Hastings and Grand Island. Everyone else will get a hand-delivered questionnaire.

If the initial questionnaires are not returned, census takers make personal visits, which is an expensive proposition, Gentry said.

“For every 1 percent of the population that doesn’t respond at first, it costs $90 million to follow up,” he said.

Nearly 75 percent of Nebraskans typically respond to the first request, he said – the best rate in the country next to Iowa’s, he said.

“Our big push this time is to be number one,” he said.

The national rate of first response is 65 percent.

The U.S. Constitution requires everyone to be counted, Gentry said. The count decides representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In the House, Nebraska’s Third Congressional District is one of the most sparsely populated in the nation. Adrian Smith of Scottsbluff-Gering represents the district, which barely has enough people to remain viable.

It's vital that every person in western Nebraska be counted, Gentry said.

Gentry is well aware of declining rural populations. He is from a ranch near Whitman, a tiny village in the Sandhills, 85 miles northwest of North Platte.

The U.S. Census began in 1790 and is conducted every 10 years. Information is kept private for 72 years. The 1930 census was recently opened.

Information is used to appropriate federal funds for schools, roads, bridges and other government services. On average, federal funds are distributed at the rate of $1,114 for every person in the United States, Gentry said.

Both full- and part-time jobs are available. To apply, call the U.S. Census recruiting desk at 308-221-3060. Applicants will be fingerprinted and undergo a background check. There are several recruiting stations in central and western Nebraska. All applications are processed in North Platte, Gentry said.