The Best (and Worst) Tippers in America, Per a New Report

These days, tipping could be a notably delicate matter. As shoppers face inflation fatigue and tipping burnout, many servers are additionally struggling to earn a good wage. These elements make us particularly attentive to rising information tendencies — and one restaurant platform simply supplied new insights.

Diners in Denver tip the best amongst any main U.S. metropolis, in keeping with a brand new report from eating rewards app inKind. The platform’s analysis crew analyzed information from its 4,500 restaurant companions throughout the nation (visited by roughly three million app customers) to look at the common ideas given by customers.

Typically, consultants advocate tipping 15% to twenty% at full-service eating places. Some diners argue that ideas ought to straight correlate to the standard of service, whereas others persistently give 20% or extra. Regardless, researchers report {that a} whopping 90% of Americans surveyed say the overabundance of tipping alternatives signifies that gratuity tradition has gone too far, per a WalletHub survey in March.

Methodologically, it’s vital to notice that inKind’s report aggregates information from in-app purchases, which can skew the information based mostly on person demographics. Restaurants additionally must choose into the platform, which primarily limits the information to city and suburban eating places. Through inKind, diners pay the invoice through their inKind account (utilizing pre-purchased restaurant credit or paying after the meal) and get 20% money again.

The app collects information on all the pieces from Michelin-starred restaurantslike the trendy French bistro Camphor in Los Angeles, to espresso chains reminiscent of New York City’s Maman, offering a variety of tipping info throughout the nation’s largest cities.

These cities go above and past

After Denver, diners in Austin and Seattle present essentially the most generosity by tipping the best averages—21.06% and 20.98%, respectively. A middle-of-the-road 20.43% tip is the common in Miami, whereas Houston tends to tip round 20.28%.

Other main cities like Washington, D.C. (20.10% common tip), New York City (19.91%), and Chicago (19.87%) land squarely in the course of these rankings. The analysis means that the time of 12 months may additionally affect tipping nationwide: The information, based mostly on inKind transactions from January to August 2025, additionally reveals that tippers left the best gratuities originally of the 12 months.

The “worst” metropolis nonetheless ideas nicely

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, inKind customers in San Francisco tip a median of 18.77% when eating out. Further south, the common will increase to 19% in Los Angeles, whereas close by diners in San Diego depart a median of 19.17% on their payments. Cities like Dallas (19.63%), Cincinnati (19.69%), and Chicago (19.87%) aren’t far behind.

Generational variations play a task

Younger diners additionally aren’t tipping as generously, it appears — with Gen Z trailing all the opposite age teams on inKind’s platform. Members of this group common wherever from 12% (for quick meals) to a most of 19%, whereas Millennials maintain tempo with barely greater gratuity. Baby Boomers, however, are likely to tip a median of 21%. Of course, common wage information seemingly correlates with eating budgets — Bureau of Labor Statistics data reveals that 20- to 24-year-olds earn a median of $782 per week, whereas the 65-plus crowd makes $1,198.