<p>Okay, so in the Northeast, the cost of living is higher. This means that wages are higher. This means that the lowest socioeconomic group is objectively making more (i.e., it looks like they are making more on paper) when in reality they are making the same as someone who is making a few dozen grand less in an area with lower cost of living. Because of that, those who feel low-income in the Northeast do not often qualify via relatively stringent objective income guidelines.</p>
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<p>I know here in Maryland, there are a lot of people on top and a lot of people on the bottom. Baltimore and PG county are very heavily low-income areas, as are the mountain and rural regions. The wealthy suburbs of DC, Wilmington, Baltimore, and Philadelphia paint an unclear picture for Maryland. The same is true in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.</p>