KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- The next federal census isn't until 2010, but before that takes place, the U.S. Census Bureau needs to hire a lot of people.

One official from the census bureau says thousands of workers will be needed in the Knoxville area to help staff the massive effort.

B.J. Welborn with the Census Bureau says, "We are going to be opening local census offices, one there in Knoxville down on Summitt Hill Drive. We are staffing that now with managers, and then when fall comes around, we're looking for thousands of applicants to fill hundreds of jobs. We're going to have an estimated 2,600 jobs in the Knoxville area."

those jobs range in pay from $17 to $24.75 an hour.

If you would like to apply, you can call 1-888-222-4936, or apply online at Census.gov.