What is said above is very accurate. Many years ago, I had a candidate with divorced parents, one from a VERY competitive district and one from a (at best) medium competitive district. He obviously chose the "less competitive" one. He got multiple nominations but no appointment because there were people more competitive than he was.
Clearly, those in less populous or otherwise less "competitive" areas, have an advantage in securing a nom. But that doesn't always translate into an appointment. IOW, even if your family was willing to move to North Dakota, you only need to have 3 people more competitive than you in the entire state (who win the 3 slates) and you may lose out.
It is also true that those in hyper-competitive areas do well in the national pool (those with noms who don't win their slates) and/or are very competitive for a Presidential appointment (for those eligible). So, it may be better to be 7/10 on a slate in a super-competitive area than being 2/10 in a less competitive area.
In the end, make yourself the best candidate you can. It's all you can do.