"I don't mind being average," he said. "Average is fine as long as I'm pulling my own."

Juneau, on the average, is an affluent, well-educated community. The average age of residents is rising, as is the time they spend living here, according to a Juneau Empire survey conducted as the city was entering the new millenium. Married couples still make up the majority of households, but their numbers are falling sharply and singles are on the upswing.

Compared with other U.S. cities surveyed, Juneau is in many ways the most unique, according to Robert Furr, a research associate for Belden Associates, a Dallas firm that conducted the poll.

"First, it's the smallest market we've ever surveyed," he said. "The other thing is just the isolation out there. Certainly it's one of the most isolated cities in the whole country."

Juneau has more residents under 45, more people employed, fewer longtime residents and different minority groups than found in other cities, Furr said. The percentage of homeowners is about the same as other places, as is the actual number of minority residents.

Good, 42, isn't a perfect match to the "average" person in Juneau. He's a year older than the median age for the community and, as an owner of Good Hardware, said he has a "light blue"-collar job, instead of the white-collar profession more typical of local workers.

It would also be statistically OK if Good were a woman: The city's male-female split is exactly 50-50, according to the survey.

The telephone survey of 508 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent. It is intended to represent the 21,500 people 18 and older living in Juneau (the total population at the time was 30,684).

Some of the survey's findings are at odds with official figures.

The poll accurately reflects many portions of earlier official state counts from 1997, such as whites comprising Juneau's largest ethnic group with about 80 percent of the population and Natives being the largest minority at somewhat above 10 percent. But it estimates Filipinos and Asians make up 2 percent of the community, whereas state figures place the figure at about 6 percent.

The discrepancies are within the poll's margin of error. Jim Calvin, managing partner for the Juneau data collection firm The McDowell Group, said they don't appear to be enough to keep the results from being valid. Limiting the poll to English-speaking residents with telephones, for example, probably did not result in minorities or the poor being underrepresented.

"There certainly are non-English households and there are a few, but not very many, households without telephones," he said. But "you're not threatening the validity of your survey. Certainly there's 1 or 2 or 3 percent at most that would fall within that category."

Some fairly "typical" Juneau residents were a little surprised to learn 47 percent of all locals have lived here 20 years or more, up from 27 percent in 1987 and 33 percent in 1990.

"I still think of us as having a large percentage of people who are here for a few years and gone," said Anne C. Fuller, 46, a computer programmer for the state and local storyteller who has lived in Juneau since 1982.

The longevity of residents was a bit surprising, but less so to Steve Torok, 52, senior representative for the Environmental Protection Agency in Juneau. He said he would not have expected such numbers 15 years ago, when people left and didn't return for 10 to 15 years.

"There's been a lot of us transient population that's more stabilized," he said. "A lot more kids are staying or, if they leave, they soon come back. Maybe they work outside for two or three years."

A 1997 McDowell survey was slightly different, indicating 40 percent of residents had been here 20 years or more.

Juneau's longevity numbers are below those of other cities, in part because there are fewer retirees here, Furr said. He said it's good not to have too many long-timers - that would mean no one is moving in - but Juneau's numbers are such that an increase is positive.

"It's good to have a lot of people coming in, but if you have more people who have ties to the community for a long time they're more likely to get involved," he said. "They're the ones who support the local programs, the schools, that sort of thing."

Furr said Juneau's population is aging quicker than he expected, but locals said they aren't surprised compared to past years.

"It seems like there was lots more liquor sold in this town," said Kim Knight, 44, a former liquor wholesaler who now runs the food division of Odom Corp., a local distribution company. "I got out of the business because everyone grew up."

The median age of Juneau residents increased from 36 in 1987 and 1990 to 41 in the survey. There was a sharp drop in people between the ages of 25 and 34, while those between 45 and 54 showed the largest increase.

Juneau has considerably more people between the ages of 25 and 54 than other U.S. cities surveyed. The median age of those cities was 42, nearly identical to Juneau, but they had more people younger than 25 and older than 55.

The age differential has an impact on Juneau's work force.

"A far larger part of the adults are employed than we see elsewhere," Furr said. Also, "those employed are likely to have white-collar jobs."

A total of 78 percent of respondents said they are employed, compared with 66 percent in other cities. White-collar jobs ranging from executives to clerical workers make up 53 percent of Juneau's adult population, compared with 41 percent elsewhere.

Part of the high white-collar ratio is Juneau's status as a state capital and government town. But that sector is becoming less prominent, said Kirk Flanders, assistant director of the Juneau Economic Development Council.

"There's no question private sector jobs have grown considerably," he said. "They passed up the number of public sector jobs in 1992 and just didn't look back."

Lower-paying jobs, notably in tourism, account for much of the private sector increase, Flanders said. He said those incomes are typically in the $25,000 to $35,000 range, which in a two-income household would put them close to the survey's average.

Households making $75,000 or more are the fastest growing group, increasing from 17 percent in 1987 to 19 percent in 1990 to 36 percent most recently. All other income categories showed a slight drop.

The increase in the highest income bracket is likely because there are more two-income households, Flanders said.

"My gut would tell me there isn't that many jobs paying over $75,000," he said.

The average household income in other markets is about $40,000, meaning Juneau is about $10,000 above average after the city's higher cost of living is factored in, Furr said.

Just because Juneau households have more money coming in doesn't mean residents are better-paid than workers in other cities, Flanders said. He said individual salaries and living expenses are both about 20 percent above the national average in his studies, but household income here is higher because of extra money from sources such as Permanent Fund dividend checks.

"Not too many states had babies making $1,540 for a household last year," he said, referring to the amount of the dividend checks.

Nearly nine out of 10 Juneau adults received a Permanent Fund check and/or a dividend check from a Native corporation. Paying bills was the most common use, with 60 percent using at least some of their checks for that purpose. One-third of respondents said they use some or all of the money to travel and one-third said they buy essential items for the home or family.

Household sizes haven't changed much, despite a sharp decline in Juneau's married population. Twelve percent of homes have one person, 30 percent have two, 19 percent have three, 22 percent have four and 17 percent have five or more.

"I would have expected an increase in divorced couples, just because that's what I see around me in my groups that I know about," Fuller said. At the same time "I'm aware of couples who are not married who are still raising kids together."

Married couples represent 53 percent of Juneau households, down from about 65 percent in 1987 and 1990. Unmarried singles jumped locally from 20 percent in 1990 to 28 percent, compared with the national rate of 20 percent.

Juneau's education level has consistently been above that of other cities in recent years, with 34 percent of local residents earning degrees compared with 27 percent in other cities, Furr said. Other local numbers are more comparable, with 24 percent attending some college, 38 percent graduating from high school or getting technical training but not going on to college, and 10 percent without a high school degree.

Knight, the food distributor, said Juneau residents seem to have a higher level of education than many other people in Southeast and the high level of government employment is likely the main factor.

"That has a tendency to move the education bar up considerably," he said.

Computer literacy in Juneau is well above average with 72 percent of all homes having computers, compared with 46 percent in other cities surveyed. Fifty-five percent of Juneau homes are connected to the Internet, compared with 35 percent in other cities.

"The location and affluence of the market is a big factor," Furr said.

About 21 percent of Juneau's adult population is comprised of minorities, with Natives the largest group at 11 percent, according to the survey. Hispanics account for about 4 percent, while Asians (including Filipinos) and blacks each represent about 2 percent - although as noted, those are somewhat at odds with state figures.

In the national survey, about 20 percent of adults were minorities, including 12 percent black, 5 percent Hispanic and 2 percent Asian.

Some locals said they have noticed an increase in the presence of minority culture from 15 or 20 years ago. Ethel Lund, 66, a 22-year resident who is president of the SEARHC Medical and Dental Clinic, said cultural programs that started in schools 20 years ago and modern events like the Celebration every two years by Tlingits help make a difference.

"Certainly in the '40s and '50s we heard there was a wide gap in cultural awareness," she said. "That has certainly has narrowed in the time I have been here. There's certainly a greater sense of pride among the Tlingit people themselves."

Native artists are more prominent, new attractions like the Mount Roberts Tram highlight Native culture and locations such as schools are featuring Tlingit names, Lund said. But the cultural adaptation isn't perfect - landmarks, coastal inlets and many other locations originally had Tlingit names, but she doesn't see many of them on modern maps.

With the community's diversity, there are a lot of different kinds of people who could consider themselves average. The reasons many who didn't grow up here came and stayed vary widely, but many were in the "small town, pristine setting, friendly community" genre. Fuller, who grew up in Oregon, said Juneau matched her vision of a "small college town," although that definition is not what some might think.

"College meaning the idea of expertise," she said. "Here are the people who have really mastered incredibly different things. Everything from South Indian dancing from the subcontinent to the intricacies of Irish reels to just everything you can think of. We've got the experts here and, like I said, they're quite willing to talk and share what they know.

"The other thing is hey, I'm in Alaska and I really like the adventurous expeditions we can do."