Is tipping fatigue real? New report reveals highest (and lowest) tipping states

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Close-up of a glass tip jar with a handwritten label, seen at a concession stand in Sonoma, California, June 16, 2025. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

While many Americans bemoan the number of times they are asked to leave a tip, that does not seem to have made them much stingier when they are ordering food.

Big picture view:

A newly released report from Toast shows that how much people chose to leave as a tip remained flat in the fourth quarter of last year. In fact, there has not been much movement in the seven years of data it provided. 

States that tip the most

The overall percentage that people are tipping may be fairly consistent through the years, but it varies a lot more depending on where you live, Toast’s report shows.

Dig deeper:

The point-of-sale service provider broke down how much its users in each state tend to tip and found that people in Delaware tend to be the most generous. The First State slotted first in total tips and in tipping at full-service restaurants. However, when it came to grabbing a bite from a quick-service restaurant, the state ranked third, behind West Virginia and Wyoming, respectively.

The other side:

At the other end of the spectrum was California, which was separated from nearly every other state by more than a percentage point in total tipping. Washington was the only other state below the 18% threshold in total tips. California was last in tipping at full-service restaurants as well, but fell into a tie for second-lowest for quick-service restaurants as New Jersey claimed the bottom spot.

RELATED: No tips, worse service? Restaurant owners warn trend is 'degrading' dining experience

By the numbers:

The report included the historical trend for tipping by customers using Toast for sales, and that trend has barely budged in the seven-year period shown. Full-service restaurant tipping stood at 19.2%. Since the beginning of 2018, that number has never fallen below 19.1% and has not topped the 19.8% recorded at the end of 2020 and during 2021.

Quick-service restaurant tipping is at its lowest point of that span but has not changed for over a year. 

The backstory:

Toast explained its report relied upon data from applicable restaurants where a tip was added using a card or digital payment in the final quarter of last year. Cash tips were not counted.