A college degree has long been linked to higher income and higher savings, and graduates are more likely to be employed and have health insurance. According to a study by the bipartisan group Third Way, eight states with the highest poverty rates—Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and West Virginia—also have populations where more than 70% did not attend college. The equation has begun to shift somewhat in recent years as college costs soar: A study of Massachusetts colleges found while a majority of degree programs generate significant wage premiums, for a substantial minority of degree program college graduates earned about the same as high school graduates. Colorado has the highest rate of college graduates of any state, at nearly 46%; but in Washington, D.C., 64.5% of residents have college degrees.