CUNY. SUNY, which is second only to the Cal system among state public university systems. NY and othe blue cities invest heavilty in mass transit, which for all of their flaws are a very important part of what makes those cities work economically.
States like NY, California and Massachusetts invest heavily in R&D partnerships with key sectors of their economy.
Blue states invest heavily in public health policy. Healthy workers are productive workers.
The outstanding economic outcomes of those states don't happen by magic. There is an overlapping set of cultural, political and policy factors that make things happen. And red states have a set of such factors that produce very different outcomes.