Final answer:
Welfare benefits are lowest in the South and highest in the Northeast, affected by regional poverty rates and state-specific government support programs.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the graphic, welfare benefits are lowest in the South and highest in the Northeast. Factors influencing these welfare benefits include poverty rates, state policies, and availability of government support programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and EITC. Structures of these programs have been undergoing changes since the welfare reforms of the 1990s, with the aim to reduce long-term dependence on federal support.
Poverty is reported to be highest in the South, and this region also leads in self-reported obesity rates, which presents additional challenges for lawmakers. In contrast, the Northeast, despite having pockets of high poverty rates in certain locations, tends to offer more robust welfare benefits.