This report is revealing and it's more than two years old.
Study: Immigrants Founded 51% of U.S. Billion-Dollar Startups
In California, small business which is the main engine of employment, about 35% are started or owned by immigrants. That % is huge and this what makes CA vibrant. Red states being generally immigrant unfriendly simply do not have this type of drawing power and will always be yesterday. They do not have the same access to technology and universities like the blue states like CA & MA to name a couple.
https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2016/03...llar-startups/