Jun 11, 2025 - Economy
America's best tippers
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Delaware, West Virginia and New Hampshire are home to America's best tippers, per new Toast data, with diners leaving nearly 21% or better on average.
- On the other end are California and Washington state, where average tips run under 18%.
The big picture: Average nationwide tips at full-service restaurants rose from 19.3% in Q4 2024 to 19.4% in Q1 2025, per Toast's latest restaurant trends report.
- "This is down from a pandemic high of 19.9%, but closer to what Toast observed in 2018 and 2019," per the report.
- Tips at quick-service joints held steady at 15.8%.
How it works: That's based on data from restaurants using Toast; cash tips aren't included.
What's next: "No tax on tips" proposals have been working their way through Congress, and could wind up on President Trump's desk as part of a major spending package.
- Exempting tips from federal taxes was a major Trump campaign promise, as Axios' Emily Peck reports, meant to appeal to working-class voters.
- Yet as MSNBC notes, many tipped workers — like the wait staff at your local greasy spoon — already pay "little or no federal income tax" because they have relatively low annual income.
