Competitors have HUNDREDS of directory backlinks yet they Rank Top

What the fuck? The best I can see that aren't directory are 30-50 DA links within local charities, professional orgs, and the like without any anchor text or relevant content (e.g. Children's hospital website for a accounting business).

I'm stuck here with my 20 some odd backlinks, 6-8 of them with high DA and on relevant industry related sites, with anchor text, high word count, etc. and stuck on pages 2-4.

I'm getting a 40% bounce rate with average 1 minutes 30 seconds retention and 1.5 pages/view...so that's not the problem.

What's going on here?