Northern Kentuckians made big advances in education, income and home values while reducing poverty during the prosperous 1990s, according to new Census data released Wednesday.

        The figures show that residents of the southern edge of Greater Cincinnati are more likely to graduate from high school, earn larger paychecks and own more expensive homes than most of Kentucky.

        The latest census data, culled from the long form mailed to one in six U.S. households during the 2000 count, also reveal Kentucky's strong correlation between education and wealth.

        The Bluegrass State's high school graduation rate among adults age 25 and older jumped 9.5 percentage points to 74.1 percent.

        That's a larger gain than all neighboring states (except West Virginia) where data have been released, but it remains the lowest graduation rate among those states, too. Ohio figures won't be available until next week.

        The highest income gains and educational achievement were clustered in Kentucky's “Golden Triangle” of Lexington, Louisville and Northern Kentucky.

        A decade of educational reform, however, apparently didn't reach all parts of the state.

        At least one in five Eastern Kentucky households stretching from Elliott to McCreary counties lives in poverty, and many of those areas have dismal graduation rates.

        “It really does prove the motto "education pays,'” said Beverly Daly, assistant director of Kentucky State Data Center. “The counties with the high education levels also had high income levels, high housing values and low poverty.”

        Despite the great strides in high school graduation, the state's gains in higher education have been slower. Just 10.3 percent of Kentucky adults hold a four-year degree, up from 8.1 percent in 1990.

        Northern Kentucky college graduation rates are higher than the state overall with residents such as Elsmere resident Kenneth Gardner completing four-year degrees.

        Mr. Gardner completed a civil engineering degree two years ago at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and now works at a Cincinnati computer firm.

        “I decided it was time to pursue a new career,” said Mr. Gardner, a former Hamilton County sheriff's deputy.

        Even though Northern Kentucky enjoyed a lucrative decade, not all six local counties shared equally in the boom economy. Median household income and home value gains in two core counties, Campbell and Kenton, trailed the statewide increase.

        Boone County's gains were impressive by any measure, boosting median household income at an inflation-adjusted rate of 19.7 percent to $53,593, the second highest median income in Kentucky.

        Income in Pendleton and Gallatin counties grew at twice the rate of the state overall, and Grant County's income increased 20.9 percent.

        Oldham County, northeast of Louisville, enjoyed a triple crown in standard-of-living measures. It has the state's largest median household income, $63,229, best high school graduation rate, 86.5 percent, and most expensive median home value, $158,600.

        Eastern Kentucky's Owsley County ranked last out of 120 counties in both median household income, $15,805, and high school graduation, 49.2 percent. It also had the state's highest poverty rate, 45.4 percent.

        The figures show that the economy rewards well-educated regions with high-salary jobs, said Danny Fore, president of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, the region's chief business and job recruiter.

        Fidelity Investments and Citibank are among employers that established large operations in Northern Kentucky in the 1990s.

        Economic growth and strong schools tend to feed off each other, said George Vredeveld, a University of Cincinnati economist.

        “Higher-income people will demand better schools and work to get better schools,” he said.

        Ms. Daly said the state's prosperity largely followed the interstates as counties at the edges of the metropolitan region had some of the best income gains.

        Not surprisingly, residents of many bedroom communities spent more time getting to and from work, pushing up the state's average commute time 3.4 minutes to 23.5 minutes.

        Northern Kentucky largely bucked that trend, however, with the development of major job centers in Erlanger and Covington closer to where people live.

        Commute time in five of six northern Kentucky counties increased at a slower rate than the state average; only Grant County's 4.2-minute increase surpassed the state's.

        The census figures don't indicate where people work, and many Northern Kentucky residents travel to jobs daily in Ohio and Indiana.

        In fact, IRS migration data confirms that Hamilton County expatriates have helped fuel the residential boom south of the Ohio River. Boone County gained the most new residents, and census figures show its housing market benefited. Boone County's median home value was $131,800, the second most expensive in Kentucky.

        Those who lived further from the interstates were more likely to be poor.

        Even though the state's overall poverty rate declined 3.2 percentage points to 15.8 percent, there remains a solid wall of poverty in Appalachian counties east of Interstate 75.

        The poverty rate is even higher among Kentucky's children. One in five kids lived in poverty in 2000 vs. one in four in 1990. A family of four that earns less than $19,578 is considered poor.

        Although some eastern Kentucky counties made dramatic improvements, many counties still have desperate needs.

        “I personally had a lot of hope that some of the counties that really needed the help could find ways to improve,” said Phil Flynn, economist with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

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