Prince George's County has more people living in poverty than any other Washington suburb, yet its charitable support system is far smaller than those in other large suburbs or the District, studies show.

This imbalance has consequences: Prince George's families sometimes travel long distances for health care, counseling and youth programs -- or never get help. Nonprofit groups in better-served areas, particularly Montgomery County, are overloaded with outside clients, which hinders their ability to help their communities.

The trend is evident to a lesser degree elsewhere as poverty has spread into the suburbs and services have failed to keep pace. Thriving hubs of nonprofit agencies have blossomed in such spots as Silver Spring and Arlington County. But in Prince George's and such outer-ring counties as Prince William, Loudoun and Charles, service groups are insufficient and undercapitalized, experts say.

The problems might be exacerbated by the worsening economy. "When people have needs, jurisdictional lines don't matter," said Chuck Bean of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. "Some people might live in County X, but the best match for the needs are in County Y."

The divide is starkest in Maryland's two biggest suburbs: Montgomery has three times as many large nonprofit groups as Prince George's, and they bring in far more annual revenue, according to a 2007 report by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations. The study also found that the Prince George's government awarded grants to nonprofit groups at a rate of about $2 per person. Most other suburban jurisdictions gave $9 to $10 per person, which in some cases reflects their relative affluence. Prince George's officials dispute that figure, but some acknowledge the need.

"We had known for some time that the capacity in Prince George's lagged behind other counties," said Heather Iliff, the report's author. "The real surprise is just how far an outlier the county is."

The findings are especially dramatic considering that the Chronicle of Philanthropy ranks Prince George's among the nation's five most generous counties in charitable giving by its residents. Most of those dollars, though, go to churches, which often offer services but not necessarily to the whole community.