The U.S. Census Bureau says Iowa is one of the states where the agency is having an especially difficult time finding temporary workers. The Census is hiring for office jobs in Des Moines as well as field workers who will go door to door statewide starting in May. The goal for the agency is to collect more than 21-thousand applications for the part-time jobs — but Marilyn Sanders, a regional director for the Census, says so far only about half that number have applied.

Iowa’s low unemployment rate is a factor and the Census Bureau recently raised the hourly wage in the Des Moines area in hopes of attracting more applicants.