Average Tip Percentage by State: 2026 Data & Rankings
Compare average tip percentages across all 50 US states and Washington D.C. See which states tip the most, regional trends, and how tipping culture varies nationwide — based on data from Toast, Square, and PayScale.
The national average tip percentage is 18.9% as of 2026. Delaware leads all states at 20.4%, while Hawaii has the lowest average at 15.8%. States with higher costs of living — like California, Washington, and Hawaii — tend to see lower tip percentages, partly because those states require employers to pay full minimum wage with no tip credit.
| Rank | State | Avg Tip % | Avg Bill | Region | Tipped Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $52 | Northeast | 42K | |
| 2 | Indiana | $44 | Midwest | 118K | |
| 3 | West Virginia | $41 | South | 38K | |
| 4 | Mississippi | $39 | South | 52K | |
| 5 | Iowa | $43 | Midwest | 68K | |
| 6 | Missouri | $46 | Midwest | 128K | |
| 7 | Nebraska | $44 | Midwest | 48K | |
| 8 | Kansas | $44 | Midwest | 60K | |
| 9 | Arkansas | $40 | South | 56K | |
| 10 | Oklahoma | $43 | South | 78K | |
| 11 | Tennessee | $46 | South | 130K | |
| 12 | Kentucky | $43 | South | 92K | |
| 13 | Alabama | $42 | South | 98K | |
| 14 | South Dakota | $43 | Midwest | 22K | |
| 15 | North Dakota | $45 | Midwest | 20K | |
| 16 | Wyoming | $47 | West | 18K | |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $46 | Midwest | 118K | |
| 18 | Ohio | $46 | Midwest | 218K | |
| 19 | Louisiana | $47 | South | 108K | |
| 20 | Michigan | $47 | Midwest | 198K | |
| 21 | Idaho | $46 | West | 42K | |
| 22 | Georgia | $49 | South | 218K | |
| 23 | North Carolina | $48 | South | 198K | |
| 24 | South Carolina | $47 | South | 98K | |
| 25 | Texas | $50 | South | 478K | |
| 26 | Minnesota | $50 | Midwest | 118K | |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $50 | Northeast | 258K | |
| 28 | Virginia | $53 | South | 178K | |
| 29 | Illinois | $52 | Midwest | 258K | |
| 30 | Washington D.C. | $64 | Northeast | 38K | |
| 31 | Florida | $52 | South | 478K | |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $52 | Northeast | 32K | |
| 33 | Vermont | $51 | Northeast | 18K | |
| 34 | Maine | $50 | Northeast | 28K | |
| 35 | New Mexico | $46 | West | 48K | |
| 36 | Rhode Island | $52 | Northeast | 28K | |
| 37 | Arizona | $50 | West | 138K | |
| 38 | Maryland | $55 | Northeast | 118K | |
| 39 | Colorado | $54 | West | 118K | |
| 40 | Connecticut | $57 | Northeast | 68K | |
| 41 | New Jersey | $57 | Northeast | 178K | |
| 42 | Utah | $48 | West | 62K | |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $58 | Northeast | 158K | |
| 44 | New York | $60 | Northeast | 418K | |
| 45 | Nevada | $55 | West | 138K | |
| 46 | Montana | $48 | West | 28K | |
| 47 | Alaska | $56 | West | 22K | |
| 48 | Oregon | $52 | West | 88K | |
| 49 | Washington | $55 | West | 138K | |
| 50 | California | $58 | West | 618K | |
| 51 | Hawaii | $62 | West | 58K |
Sources: Toast Restaurant Trends 2025, Square Restaurant Report 2025, PayScale Industry Data. Last updated March 2026. Data represents full-service restaurant averages.
Why Do Tip Percentages Vary by State?
Average tip percentages differ significantly across states due to a combination of economic, cultural, and legal factors. Understanding these drivers helps explain why a diner in Delaware tips nearly 5 percentage points more than one in Hawaii.
Cost of Living & Income Levels
Higher-income states tend to produce mixed results. While wealthier diners have more disposable income, high-cost states often see higher base bills — and tip fatigue can set in at elevated check totals. States like California and New York show below-average tip percentages despite high incomes.
Regional Tipping Culture
The South and Midwest consistently tip above the national average. Midwest states like Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri have strong tipping norms rooted in hospitality culture. The Northeast shows moderate tipping, while Western states — especially the Pacific Coast — tip the least.
Restaurant Type & Tourism
Tourist-heavy states like Hawaii and Nevada see lower per-restaurant averages partly because tourist spending patterns differ from locals. Urban markets with high fine-dining density, like Washington D.C., see higher averages driven by expense-account dining.
States with No Tip Credit Pay Lower Tips
One of the clearest patterns in the data: the 7 states that require employers to pay the full minimum wage — California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Minnesota, Montana, and Nevada — cluster at the bottom of the tipping rankings. The average tip percentage in no-tip-credit states is 16.7%, compared to 19.4% in tip-credit states.
The economic logic is straightforward. When diners know that servers receive full minimum wage regardless of tips, they perceive tips as truly discretionary. In tip-credit states, diners understand that the server's base pay is $2.13/hr and that tips make up the majority of their income — creating a stronger social norm to tip generously.
See minimum wage rules for your state: Use our Tipped Minimum Wage by State guide to see whether your state uses a tip credit and how it affects worker pay.
View Tipped Minimum Wage TableHow the OBBBA Changes Tipping
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed in 2025, exempts up to $25,000/year of tip income from federal income tax for workers earning under $150,000 annually. This exemption does not directly change tip percentages — but it has had downstream effects on tipping culture.
Industry observers note that the law's high-profile passage renewed public awareness of how dependent tipped workers are on gratuities. Early 2026 survey data from Toast shows a modest 0.3–0.5 percentage point uptick in average tip rates across most states since the law's enactment — a signal that policy attention to tip income may reinforce tipping norms.
For tipped workers, the practical impact is clear: the same tip dollars now go further at tax time. A server in Texas earning $24,000/year in tips saves roughly $2,640–$5,280 in federal income taxes under the exemption, depending on their bracket. Use our calculator to see your state's savings.
Calculate your tax savings: Enter your tip income and see exactly how much you save under the 2026 OBBBA exemption.
Calculate My Tip Tax SavingsFrequently Asked Questions
What is the average tip percentage in the US?
The national average tip percentage at full-service restaurants is 18.9% as of 2026, according to aggregated data from Toast and Square point-of-sale systems. This figure covers dine-in restaurant meals and excludes counter service, delivery, and other service categories where tipping norms differ. The average has risen from approximately 17.5% in 2019, driven partly by digital payment prompts that suggest 18–22% as default options.
Which state has the highest average tip?
Delaware leads all states with an average tip of 20.4%. Delaware's high tipping rate is attributed to its concentration of business travelers, strong regional tipping culture shared with the Mid-Atlantic corridor, and a relatively small but affluent local dining base. Indiana (20.1%) and West Virginia (20.0%) round out the top three.
Why does Hawaii have the lowest average tip?
Hawaii's 15.8% average is the lowest in the nation, reflecting several factors: Hawaii is a no-tip-credit state (employers must pay full minimum wage), tourism dominates the restaurant economy and tourist tipping patterns skew lower, and the state has a significant Asian- American population where tipping customs from home countries may differ. Hawaii's high cost of living also means base bills are elevated, which can suppress percentage-based tips.
Does tipping 20% mean the same thing in every state?
The dollar amount behind 20% varies significantly by state because average restaurant bills differ. A 20% tip on a $45 bill in Mississippi ($9) is very different from 20% on a $68 bill in California ($13.60). Workers in high-cost states often receive higher absolute tip dollars even when percentage rates are lower — but those workers also face higher living costs. Read our tipping guide for a full breakdown by service type.
Related Tools & Resources
Want to calculate the right tip for your bill? Use the No Tax on Tips Calculator to estimate your tip amount and see how much you save in federal taxes under the 2026 OBBBA exemption.
Wondering how your state's minimum wage law affects tip income? Our Tipped Minimum Wage by State table compares all 50 states and explains the tip credit system.
Looking for state-specific tipping data? See our guides for Texas and California, or explore how OBBBA savings vary in our tip tax savings by state breakdown.
New to tipping norms? Our tipping guide covers standard percentages for restaurants, hotels, rideshare, and more.