Washington ranked second-worst tipping state in the country, new data shows

Washington ranked as the second-worst tipping state in the country, according to data from restaurant payments platform Toast, with diners leaving an average tip of about 17.6% to 17.8%, just ahead of California’s last-place average of about 17.2% to 17.3%.

Washington, D.C. rounded out the bottom three.

After reviewing the data, KIRO host John Curley said the state’s standing hasn’t improved much since 2023, when Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles ranked among the worst tipping cities in the country.

“Washington is now the second-worst state for tips,” Curley said on KIRO Newsradio. “In 2023, the three worst cities [were] Seattle, San Francisco, and L.A. New York does really well. Texas does well.”

Nationally, full-service tips averaged 19.2% to 19.3% over the same period. Delaware led the country as the most generous tipping state, according to the latest data, with averages above 21%.

Curley pointed to Seattle’s built-in service charges as one likely factor pulling down voluntary tips. Additionally, Seattle’s minimum wage, among the highest in the country, has led many restaurants to add automatic service charges, often in the range of 20%, to help cover rising labor costs.

“Now in the city of Seattle, you already have it built right in. There’s a 20% service charge,” Curley said. “So then people go, ‘Well, then screw that, I’m not going to bother tipping.’ That could bring down the number.”

Producer Joe Wallace described being asked for a tip on a phone order he picked up himself from a Seattle pizza restaurant.

“I went to Pagliacci’s the other day for pickup. A large pizza and a medium pizza. 66 bucks. Picking it up. And the guy on the phone is like, ‘How much would you like to leave for tip?'” Wallace said. “I still left him a tip because I felt bad. I tipped him three bucks.”

Another reason for lower tips in general is Seattle’s high menu prices, which Curley said may be discouraging tipping even when service charges aren’t automatically included.

“I was in New York, and the bill was like 50 bucks for lunch. And then you come here, $87,” Curley said. “The minimum wage, the livable wage, plus the CCA, the Climate Commitment Act, because of the cost for fuel, and additional costs — it’s shocking. So I don’t even think about it anymore.”

Curley also flagged a common mistake he said inflates what people believe they’re tipping: Calculating the tip off the total bill including tax, rather than the pre-tax cost of the meal.

“Why are you tipping on tax? The bill is 100 bucks. They show the tax on there, another $10, so it’s $110. Then people go, ‘Oh, it’s 110, so 20%,’ and they tip on that,” Curley said. “But no, don’t tip on the tax. Just tip on what the cost was.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The John Curley Show” weekdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.

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