I grew up in a very blue collar rust belt type of area, and if you were a smart kid that showed an interest in the military, the school guidance staff would try

I grew up in a very blue collar rust belt type of area, and if you were a smart kid that showed an interest in the military, the school guidance staff would try to keep you away from the standard military recruiters and point you towards ROTC while studying engineering at State U. A person taking that route would never have been assigned to Hopper’s team. And again, the wealthy area where I live now, if you are a bright kid that shows an interest in the military they are going to try to get you to do ROTC at the top engineering school possible, or setting up interviews with the Congressman or Senator to try to get a nomination into one of the academies. So by percentages, the best enlisted men and women are likely to be from more rural areas.