Any college search needs to be balanced and respect your own financial reality.
Sounds like holistic and need blind are a mystery to you, OP. You need to not just take your own doubts at face value. Look into how it all does work.
Adcoms don’t have time to guess your income and certainly not based on zip code.
Of course they set limits to overall FA they can make available. Cant give beyond their means. But on the front end, families are supposed to be taking a realistic and informedlook at their own means and true qualifications for an admit. Not just crossing their fingers and pointing fingers of doubt, based on opinion.