Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn

Young people in Michigan are more likely to graduate from high school, get their GED, and graduate from college than ever before. In 2000, only 83 percent of people over the age of 25 had completed high school or their GED. 20 years later, that number has risen to 91 percent. This year is the first time that Michigan has had over 90 percent of its residents graduate from high school. The Great Lakes State is doing slightly better than the United States, which has an overall 88 percent graduation rate, up from 80 percent in 2000.

Bay County is on par with the Michigan average in high school graduation, with nearly 91 percent of residents having completed high school or their GED, but is behind in college education, with only 19 percent of residents having a college degree. Saginaw County lags slightly behind in high school graduation with 89 percent of residents completing high school or its equivalent. It is slightly better than its neighbor in college education, with around 21 percent of residents having a college degree, but is behind the rest of the state, with 29 percent of Michiganders having a college degree.