Stingy Tipping Trends in Liberal States
Interestingly, some of the most liberal areas in the United States have emerged as the lowest tippers when it comes to restaurant bills. According to data from Toast reported by Axios, California, Washington state, and Washington, D.C., ranked near the bottom for average tips in the second quarter of 2026, with diners tipping less than 18% on average. It’s worth noting that California has one of the highest state income tax rates in the nation, while Washington has imposed a 9.9% tax on incomes exceeding $1 million.
Throughout the fourth quarter of 2025, California and Washington continued to show up as low-tipping states. California’s average tip stood at 17.2%, in stark contrast to Delaware, which topped the charts at an impressive 21.8%.
Across all restaurant types, diners in the U.S. averaged tips of about 19% during the second quarter of 2026, a figure that didn’t shift much from the first quarter, according to Axios.
In comparison, Delaware, West Virginia, and New Hampshire led the tipping rankings, with diners there averaging around 21%. It’s a curious situation, particularly since there seems to be a growing frustration among Americans regarding the tipping culture, even though their actual tipping behavior hasn’t changed much. A Bankrate survey from 2025 revealed that 41% of Americans felt that tipping culture had spiraled “out of control.”
These low-tipping regions also tend to have relatively high minimum wages, which might offer some insight into the geographical differences in tipping practices. However, the Toast data doesn’t pinpoint the reasons behind the variations in tipping across states.
Toast’s statistics reflect transactions from restaurants utilizing its service and do not account for cash tips.
In another development, activists succeeded in gathering enough signatures in July to propose a one-time 5% tax targeting billionaires for the upcoming November midterm elections, an initiative that could further encourage wealthy individuals to leave the state.
Democratic Governor of Washington, Bob Ferguson, enacted a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million on March 30. Additionally, Seattle’s Democratic Mayor, Katie Wilson, made headlines during a September 2025 campaign event when she warned grocery chains against closing, suggesting instead the possibility of government-operated grocery stores.
Wealthy entrepreneurs, such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have relocated from California, while former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz declared in March that he was moving from Washington to Florida.
On a national scale, former President Donald Trump signed a provision into law on July 4, 2025, which exempted tipped income from certain taxes, a move he had campaigned on during the 2024 presidential election.
