DENVER -- Want to make $18 an hour, work from home and set your own schedule?

It's not a scam.

The U.S. Census Bureau is now hiring.

"We are currently hiring hundreds of people in the Denver area to help update the Census Bureau's address list. An accurate address list is the first step to ensuring a complete and accurate count in 2010, " said Denver Regional Census Director Cathy Lacy Illian.

The first U.S. Census office in Colorado is now open in Lakewood and offices will soon open in Denver, Aurora, Westminster, Greeley, Grand Junction and Pueblo. They're looking to hire 1,000 listers, 80 crew leaders, 16 field operation supervisors and 26 recruiting assistants.

To qualify, you have to be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and you have to be able to read and write. You don't need a college degree. For some jobs, you will need your own car, but the U.S. Census will reimburse you for mileage. You also have to pass a background check from the FBI.

Listers will work an average of 20 to 30 hours a week, for approximately six to 10 weeks. They will work out of their own home and report to a crew leader in their area. Listers will drive around their neighborhoods and use hand-held computers equipped with Global Positioning Systems to verify, add and delete addresses.

Census officials say the rate of pay depends on where you live. Listers will start at $11.00 an hour in rural areas and $16.25 in Metro Denver.

Crew leaders get paid $18.25 an hour in the metro area and $14.50 in the Greeley area and in Wyoming. If you want to apply to be a field operation supervisor, the pay is $19.75 an hour in Denver, and $16 in Greeley and Wyoming. Recruiting assistants make $18.25 in Denver and $14.50 in Greeley.

Applicant will also have to take a 30-minute multiple choice test, where they will be tested on basic map reading, English and math.

To learn more about each job, go to the Web site for the Denver office of the U.S. Census Bureau.

To apply for a local census job, call 1-866-861-2010 or visit the Census Web site.

What Is The Census?

The census is a count of everyone living in the United States every 10 years. The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Participation in the census is required by law.

Census data are used to distribute congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.

Officials said census jobs are excellent for retirees, college students, persons who want to work part-time, persons who are between jobs or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing a service for their community.

The entire U.S. Census will cost $14 billion to carry out. Work started in 2007 and will be complete in 2011, officials said. Nationally, the U.S. Census wants to recruit 3 million people and expects to hire 1.3 million.

In Colorado, officials hope to recruit 8,150 people by March 2010. So far, the local office has recruited 1,500 people but no one has been hired yet.

In April and May of 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau will be opening more offices in Aurora, Denver, Greeley, Grand Junction and Pueblo and those offices will also require additional management and staff. Six-person teams plus support staff will need to be hired for each office.

And at the end of 2009, the Census will also hire a number of "enumerators" or people who will then go to each house to make sure each household has filled out the U.S. Census form.

Colorado state, civic and community leaders on Monday participated in the opening of Colorado's first local census office at 6950 West Jefferson Ave., Suite 275, in Lakewood.