What they sold and the geography was a bug part of it.
Explanation:
The southern sold cash crops because of the long growing seasons and hot summers. The New England made money lumber, fishing, and whaling because they had poor soil, cold winters, and short growing seasons. The middle had pretty decent weather and climate so most of their money was made from grain and livestock giving them the nickname the breadbasket colonies.
In the end it depended on what they used to make money.
