Discovering America’s Tipping Trends: The Most and Least Generous States Revealed

If you lived in Florence, Italy, or Mykonos, Greece, you wouldn’t have to worry about tipping. If you live in America, you’re expected to tip regularly. While we have widely held beliefs about tipping (20% for elite service), each state has its habits when it comes to tipping.

The team at Toast analyzed national data derived from its digital checkout platforms to determine which states are the best tippers and which are the stingiest.

1. Delaware (21.8%)

Delawareans are well aware of the value of good service, leading the nation in tipping 21.8% on average for full-service experiences. Delaware’s median household income ranks near the middle of the pack at $79,325, and that’s with the Bidens propping that figure up.

It shows that you don’t have to be rich to tip your waiter appropriately for delivering the apps on time with a smile.

2. New Hampshire (21.3%)

New Hampshire is ranked as the seventh wealthiest state in America in terms of household income.

While some of the richest individuals maintain their fortune through shameless penny-pinching, New Hampshire proves that those who do well financially often give it back to those who serve them.

3. Indiana (21.2%)

Indiana is home to a city named Santa Claus, so the population’s giving spirit shouldn’t surprise us.

The average tip of 21.2% suggests that Hoosiers are more generous than most or that the corn-fed waiters (and other tip-earning professionals) have service in their blood. Hard work recognizes hard work!

4. Kentucky (21%)

Residents of the Bluegrass State make a habit of handing hundred-dollar bills to fishing guides, bartenders, servers, and other full-service tipped employees.

It’s encouraging to see generosity in a state where the poverty rate is one-sixth higher than the national average (and where addiction has spread like wildfire). No matter one’s struggles, DNA-deep decency never dies.

5. Ohio (20.9%)

We know the song “Ohio Is for Lovers” isn’t about those who love to pay gracious gratuities.

Despite Ohio being among the states with the greatest job losses, residents aren’t cutting their spending on tips. Ohioans may be more attuned to the potential financial hardships of others and want to do what they can to ease the burden.

6. West Virginia (20.8%)

West Virginia is another state that proves serious economic hardship does not translate to bad tipping.

The state had a 17.9% poverty rate in 2022, but the average tip for full service surpassed the accepted 20% standard for excellent service. Maybe we have West Virginia to blame for the out-of-control tipping culture that’s plagued us in this post-pandemic era.

7. Pennsylvania (20.7%)

In 2022, eight percent of Pennsylvania’s employed population worked in restaurant and food service jobs. Even more employees work in hotels, bars, and other institutions where tipping is the norm.

The relationship between worker and customer remains strong in the Keystone State, as evidenced by an average full-service tip of 20.7%.

8. Michigan (20.7%)

Colloquially known as “Tip-igan” among fat-pocketed servers and bartenders, Michigan is the land of milk and honey for service industries.

Those fortunate to work at the Albion Malleable Brewing Co., Hack-Ma-Tack Inn & Restaurant, and Michigan’s other top dining spots may do particularly well with the state’s generous tippers.

9. Wyoming (20.7%)

The total number of tips paid in Wyoming may be less than any other state because it has the country’s smallest population (less than 600,000).

However, on a per-tip basis, Wyomingites pull their weight by tipping a whopping 20.7% on average. There may not be many of them, but Wyoming residents are pulling their weight in the tipping category!

10. Montana (20.6%)

Though Montana’s nickname is Big Sky Country, it could just as aptly be dubbed Big Tip Country.

The open skies and awe-striking mountains inspire a sense of generosity, as Montana ranks tenth in the nation in terms of average tips. All that scenery must encourage people to open their hearts and wallets.

11. South Carolina (20.6%)

Home to Myrtle Beach and Fort Sumter, sunny South Carolina has a population of over five million people, not to mention the tourists who flock to the state during the summer months.

Whether visitors contribute to the local economy or locals pour back into their communities, South Carolina residents don’t hesitate to tip their servers, bartenders, and baristas.

12. Missouri (20.5%)

The series Ozark does not portray Missourians as the good-tipping type, but that only proves that fiction is fiction for a reason.

In truth, Missourians exceed the standard 20% when the bill comes, and they tip extra when served with Kansas City’s famous barbecue (or so we guess).

13. Maine (20.4%)

Maine’s main rule of thumb appears to be “tip your servers like you mean it.” In a state where even the commoner dines on lobster, servers make out well.

Plus, well-to-do millennials are moving to Maine at the fifth highest rate of any state, so hopefully, their penchant for wealth distribution will be a further boon for the state’s service employees.

14. Kansas (20.4%)

The Great Plains are known for vast, undisturbed fields of corn, wheat, sunflowers, and other cash crops. Service is also a high-value commodity in Kansas, as the state’s residents think nothing of leaving a fat tip.

Farmers know the value of hard work more than most, so it’s no surprise that Kansans tip fairly when they recognize quality service.

15. Wisconsin (20.3%)

Residents in a state defined by cheese sure like handing cheddar over to service-industry employees- hopefully not literally, though I wouldn’t complain if I were gifted a box of cheese instead of cash for serving tables!

Tips may be even more generous in industry-rich locales like Marathon County, which produces about 10% of the world’s ginseng supply.

16. Idaho (20.3)

The Gem State produces 1/3 of the United States potatoes and some of the nation’s great tippers. It’s impressive that residents of a state with a per capita income under $35,000 find the means to treat their service sector employees so well.

Then again, the cost of living in the state is about 6% lower than the national average. What Idahoans are saving on bills is going into the pockets of service professionals.

17. Tennessee (20.2%)

Tennessee’s population grew by nearly 2% between 2020 and 2022, which means more mouths to feed, drinks to serve, bags to carry, and more than 20.2% tips to dole out.

That’s not a ten you see the Nashville resident handing the server. That’s a hundred-dollar bill.

18. Nebraska (20.2%)

Nebraska’s economy has grown steadily throughout recent history, and it’s proven particularly resilient during recessionary times.

Nebraskans feel secure in their financial status, as they fall within the top half of best-tipping states.

19. Iowa (20.1%)

We are getting closer to the middle of the pack, but Iowans deserve an extra helping of corn in exchange for their generous treatment of those who serve them.

Experts don’t agree on where the state of Iowa got its name, just as they don’t know where Iowans got their above-average tipping habits from.

20. Massachusetts (20.1%)

Massachusetts is the fourth most expensive state, with average home prices topping $500,000.

Considering how much residents in the Bay State have to put towards their rent and mortgages, it’s a wonder they can scrounge up 20% for the server.

21. Maryland (20%)

Maryland was home to the world’s first dentistry college, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, which opened in 1840.

Ironically, coaxing a good tip out of a Marylander is nothing like pulling teeth.

22. North Carolina (20%)

Workers in North Carolina once made their tips (or wages) selling tar and turpentine from the state’s native trees.

Today, the service industry relies on the tips of the Tar Heel State’s consumers, and those consumers typically reward good service with a full 20% gratuity.

23. Vermont (20%)

The Green Mountain State provides ample green for tip-dependent workers.

Vermont is the last of the states to meet the 20% average tip threshold.

24. Alabama (19.9%)

Alabama is just north of the dividing line between the top 50% and bottom 50% of states regarding tipping.

Being above average is commendable, and a 20% tip is nothing to sneeze at, even in an inflation-riddled economy.

25. Nevada (19.0)

We now look at the three worst-tipping states in the nation, starting with The Silver State, Nevada. Las Vegas has an outsize impression on outsiders’ views of Nevada, and it’s a service-dependent city.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher that Nevada ranks in the bottom three states in terms of tipping. The state does not rank within the top 10 poorest states, either, so we can’t necessarily blame the below-average tipping on destitution.

26. Washington (18.6%)

Working in Washington’s service sector is difficult enough, even with good tips. 71% of service employees lack stability in their work schedules, while 38% regularly work opening and closing shifts.

While nobody would turn down an 18% tip out of offense, this average full-service tip ranks second lowest in the country.

27. California (18.0%)

Californians face the highest personal income tax rate in the country at 13.3%. If you have visited the Golden State, you know how high the cost of goods is, and that’s without paying the exorbitant cost of housing.

Perhaps Californians don’t have much left over to tip the waiter, as they have the lowest average tip percentage of all the 50 states.