census taker: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral to Formal
Quick answer
What does “census taker” mean?
A person employed to visit households and collect the official data for a population census.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A person employed to visit households and collect the official data for a population census.
Any person whose role involves systematic data collection by going from place to place, or more generally, someone who collects or records information in an official, enumerative capacity.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is standard in both. In UK official contexts, 'census enumerator' is a more common historical and formal synonym.
Connotations
Similar in both, evoking notions of government, bureaucracy, door-to-door surveys, and statistical accuracy.
Frequency
More frequent in American English. In the UK, 'census officer' or 'field officer' are common contemporary alternatives.
Grammar
How to Use “census taker” in a Sentence
The census taker [verb: collected/recorded/visited/asked] [object: the data/households/residents].She was hired as a census taker for the 2020 survey.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “census taker” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The government will census-take the population next spring.
- They are census-taking in rural areas this week.
American English
- The agency needs to census-take every ten years.
- Volunteers helped census-take in the flood zone.
adverb
British English
- He worked census-takerly for three months.
- They proceeded census-takerly through the neighbourhood.
American English
- She went about her duties census-takerly.
- The team operated census-takerly and efficiently.
adjective
British English
- She attended a census-taker training course.
- The census-taker role is temporary.
American English
- He has a census-taker job for the summer.
- The census-taker manual was very detailed.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in discussions of large-scale market research or data collection projects.
Academic
Used in sociology, demography, history, and statistics when discussing methodology.
Everyday
Used when discussing government activity, national events, or personal anecdotes about being surveyed.
Technical
Standard term in demography and official statistics, though 'enumerator' is often preferred.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “census taker”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “census taker”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “census taker”
- Using 'census maker' (incorrect). Confusing with 'accountant' or 'auditor'. Using plural 'census takers' as an adjective without a hyphen (e.g., 'census taker data' should be 'census-taker data').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically not. It's usually temporary, seasonal employment tied to the census cycle (e.g., every 10 years in many countries).
A census taker works for the official government census (mandatory, full population). A pollster conducts opinion polls (voluntary, sample-based) for research or media.
Not always. Many countries now use mixed methods: online forms, postal surveys, and in-person visits only for non-responding households.
In most countries, participating in the official census is a legal obligation, and refusing can result in a fine. Always check official identification.
A person employed to visit households and collect the official data for a population census.
Census taker is usually neutral to formal in register.
Census taker: in British English it is pronounced /ˈsensəs ˌteɪkə(r)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈsensəs ˌteɪkər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “As persistent as a census taker (implies door-to-door tenacity).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine someone who TAKES notes for the CENSUS. They 'take' the count.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE/INFORMATION IS A RESOURCE TO BE COLLECTED (The taker collects data as one collects a resource).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary function of a census taker?