Alpena County has experienced a brain gain in the last 40 years, joining the rest of the country in a massive increase in the number of adults who have earned college degrees.

In 1970, only 7.5 percent of adults in Alpena County had college degrees. By 2010, that number more than doubled to 15.5 percent.

Looking across America, the percentage of adults in Alpena County sporting diplomas was below the national average of 27.9 percent, a number that has nearly tripled in the last four decades.

Personal education levels also made a quantum leap in the rural regions of Alpena County. In 1970, 8.9 percent of adults had some college level training and by 2010, that figured had risen to a whopping 37.1 percent.