Americans are tipping in more places than ever, and they are not happy about it. 63% now hold at least one negative view of tipping, 41% say tipping culture "has gotten out of control," and 72% say tipping is expected in more places than it was five years ago. Yet at full-service restaurants, the average card tip still sits near 19.3%. This report compiles source-verified statistics on average tips by service, tipflation, tip screen fatigue, demographics, and the tipped minimum wage, drawn from Bankrate's 2025 survey, Pew Research Center, Toast point-of-sale data, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Key Findings at a Glance
- 63% of Americans hold at least one negative view about tipping, up from 59% in 2024, and 41% say tipping culture has gotten out of control (up from 35%) (Bankrate 2025 Tipping Survey).
- 72% of U.S. adults say tipping is expected in more places today than five years ago (Pew Research Center, 2023).
- 38% of Americans are annoyed by pre-entered tip screens, and 27% tip less or nothing when shown one (Bankrate 2025).
- The average card tip at full-service restaurants was about 19.3% in early 2026, versus 15.8% at quick-service restaurants (Toast).
- The federal cash wage for tipped workers has been $$2.13/hour since 1991, with a maximum tip credit of $$5.12 against the $7.25 minimum wage (U.S. Department of Labor).
Average Tip by Service Type
Tipping norms vary enormously by service. In Bankrate's 2025 survey, 70% of Americans said they always tip servers at sit-down restaurants, but that falls off sharply for other services, down to just 12% who always tip on takeout pickup.
Pew Research Center's 2023 study, which measured "always or often" tipping, found similar ordering at higher levels: 92% always/often tip at sit-down restaurants, 78% for a haircut, 76% for food delivery, 61% for a taxi or rideshare, but only 25% at coffee shops and 12% at fast-casual counters (Pew Research Center).
Actual point-of-sale data shows the tip rate also splits along service lines. Toast, whose platform serves roughly 171,000 restaurant locations, reports that full-service restaurant (FSR) card tips averaged about 19.3% in Q1 2026 (after dipping to a seven-year low of 19.1% in Q2 2025) while quick-service (QSR) card tips held near 15.8% (Toast Restaurant Tipping Trends).
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How Much Americans Actually Tip
Despite the "standard" 20% tip being widely promoted on checkout screens, most Americans tip less. Pew found that for an average sit-down meal, 57% of adults would tip 15% or less (including 2% who would leave nothing) while only 25% would tip 20% or more (Pew Research Center). Bankrate's 2025 survey similarly found only 35% of Americans typically tip at least 20% at sit-down restaurants, down from 37% the year before (Bankrate 2025).
| Tip amount for an average sit-down meal | Share of U.S. adults |
|---|---|
| 15% or less (incl. 2% who tip nothing) | 57% |
| 20% or more | 25% |
| Typically tip 20%+ (Bankrate framing) | 35% |
Sources: Pew Research Center, 2023; Bankrate 2025 Tipping Survey
Tipflation and Tipping Fatigue
The defining tipping story of the 2020s is "tipflation," the spread of tip prompts into places that never asked before. 72% of Americans say tipping is now expected in more places than five years ago, and sentiment has soured with it.
- 63% of Americans hold at least one negative view of tipping in 2025, up from 59% in 2024 (Bankrate 2025).
- 41% say tipping culture has gotten out of control, up from 35% the prior year.
- Only 34% of adults say it is extremely or very easy to know whether to tip, and 33% say the same about knowing how much (Pew Research Center).
Digital Tip Screens and Preset Prompts
The tablet flip, the swiveled screen with 20%/25%/30% buttons, is the flashpoint of tipflation. It measurably changes behavior, and mostly for the worse from the consumer's side.
- 38% of Americans say they are annoyed by pre-entered tip screens; 27% say they tip less or nothing when presented with one, while only 11% say they tip more (Bankrate 2025).
- 40% of adults oppose businesses suggesting tip amounts (for example on the bill or a checkout screen), versus just 24% who favor it (Pew Research Center).
- 72% of adults oppose businesses adding automatic service charges to bills (Pew Research Center).
Who Tips and Who Doesn't: Demographics
Tipping behavior divides sharply by age. Bankrate found that older generations are far more consistent tippers: 84% of baby boomers and 83% of Gen X always tip at sit-down restaurants, compared with just 61% of millennials and 43% of Gen Z.
The split is not only generational. Pew found that adults under 30 are more likely than those 65 and older to cite a worker's pre-tip wages, social pressure, and the cost of the tip as major factors in whether they tip. There is a political dimension too: 35% of Democrats (versus 27% of Republicans) say a worker's pre-tip wages are a major factor, rising to 41% among liberal Democrats (Pew Research Center).
What Makes People Decide to Tip
When Pew asked what drives tipping decisions, service quality dominated, but a meaningful share of Americans also weigh whether the worker is underpaid.
| Major factor in deciding whether/how much to tip | Share of U.S. adults |
|---|---|
| Quality of the service | 77% |
| The worker's pre-tip wages | ~30% |
| The cost of the tip | ~25% |
| Feeling pressured to tip | ~23% |
Sources: Pew Research Center, 2023
The Tipped Minimum Wage
Tipping is woven into U.S. wage law. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, employers can pay tipped workers a direct cash wage as low as $$2.13/hour, unchanged since 1991, as long as tips bring the total to at least the $$7.25 federal minimum. The gap, the $$5.12 maximum "tip credit," has been fixed since the minimum wage last rose in 2009 (U.S. Department of Labor).
Many states go further. Seven states ban the tip credit entirely and require employers to pay the full state minimum wage before tips: Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. And on January 1, 2026, 19 states raised their minimum wage, continuing to shrink the role of tips in guaranteeing base pay.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Federal tipped cash wage | $$2.13/hour (since 1991) | U.S. DOL |
| Federal minimum wage | $$7.25/hour (since 2009) | U.S. DOL |
| Maximum federal tip credit | $$5.12/hour | U.S. DOL |
| States with no tip credit | 7 | U.S. DOL |
| States raising minimum wage Jan 1, 2026 | 19 | State labor agencies |
| California minimum wage (2025 → 2026) | $$16.50 → $16.90 | CA DIR |
| Washington minimum wage (2025 → 2026) | $$16.66 → $17.13 | WA L&I |
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor: Tips; California DIR; Washington L&I
If you found this data useful, please cite as: "Tipping Statistics 2026," receiptgenerators.net, July 2026.
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Methodology and Sources
All statistics in this report are sourced from named surveys, point-of-sale datasets, and government data, each with its collection year. Primary sources include:
- Bankrate 2025 Tipping Culture Survey: conducted by YouGov, 2,277 U.S. adults, fielded April 2025 (survey; press release).
- Pew Research Center: "Tipping Culture in America" (report and factors analysis), based on a survey of 11,945 U.S. adults conducted August 7–27, 2023.
- Toast: Restaurant Tipping Trends, aggregated card and digital tip transactions (cash tips excluded) across ~171,000 restaurant locations.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Tips under the FLSA and Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees.
Last updated: July 2026.