Between the Haves and Have-Nots, a Widening Gulf

"We stay competitive," said Magoon, who moved to Charles County in 1984. "I feel just about anyone who works for it can have it."

But Sean Dobson, executive director of the Progressive Maryland Education Fund, said the report's findings about income disparity make the case for more proactive state government measures: broader access to affordable health care, expanded sales taxes to cover more services, further increases in the minimum wage and even voluntary funding of political campaigns to check the influence of special interests in Maryland.

"The money is piling up at the top of the pyramid, and not enough is trickling down," Dobson said. "You have to positively intervene in smart ways. You have to systematically redistribute it."

Maryland business representatives said that government already is doing plenty to spread opportunity in the state.

"Too much taxation, too much regulation will stop the influx of these good-paying jobs," said Kathleen Snyder, president and chief executive of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. "We want to avoid more taxation because the state has already raised taxes by $1.2 billion in the past six months. With the economy struggling as it is, the state can't afford to do much more than that at this time."

Across the street from the chamber's offices in downtown Annapolis is 49 West Coffeehouse, a laid-back hangout that draws an eclectic clientele. Sarah Cahalan, the coffeehouse's owner for 13 years, said her business is doing well, even as her friends who operate upscale restaurants have watched their customers dwindle.

"People still can afford a cup of coffee and a bagel," Cahalan said. But she has noticed another trend: The majority of her customers now pay with credit cards.