FRANKFORT — New census figures indicate Kentuckians are not exactly gung-ho about carpooling but live reasonably close to the job, which is likely to be in the services industry.

        Housing costs are lower than those for most other Americans, though a Kentuckian is twice as likely to live in a mobile home.

        Income and education levels continue to lag and poverty continues to nag, especially in households headed by women.

        Those tidbits are derived from a supplementary survey that was administered at the same time as Census 2000. The survey was distributed to 700,000 households nationwide, of which 1,106 were in Kentucky, according to the State Data Center at the University of Louisville.

        Survey results were separate from those of the actual headcount, which was taken from forms mailed to 120 million households and provides a broader picture of social trends. All survey figures are estimates.

        The survey indicated that, of more than 1.7 million workers, about one in nine carpooled to the job with at least one other person. Thirty-five thousand walked to work and 24,000 used public transportation.

        Like the nation as a whole, more Kentuckians worked in a service job than any other kind. Services is a broad industry, covering janitors to surgeons. It accounted for 39 percent of jobs in Kentucky, as opposed to 41 percent of jobs nationally. Eighteen percent of Kentucky jobs were in manufacturing, compared with 14 percent nationally.

        The median value of owner-occupied homes was just under $89,000, up from $50,100 in 1990. Kentucky ranked 39th among the states in that category. About 35,000 Kentucky houses were valued at $250,000 or more. About 200 topped the $1 million mark.

        Median gross rent in Kentucky was estimated at

        $450, up from $319 a decade earlier but well below the national median, $612.

        The survey also estimated251,000 Kentucky housing units — 14 percent of all occupied dwellings — are mobile homes. That was an increase of 70,000 from 1990 and double the percentage for the nation as a whole. But other states tend to have more multi-unit dwellings.

        “Where the rest of the country has apartments and condominiums, we've got mobile homes,” said Ron Crouch, director of the State Data Center.

        Ruth Chafins of Pikeville, who owns and rents out 21 mobile homes in Pike County, said they are practical and affordable.

        “They're especially good for older people because they require less upkeep. It doesn't take as long to clean them, and they're comfortable,” Ms. Chafins said.

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