The Best (and Worst) Tippers In America, Per A New Report

These days, tipping can be a particularly sensitive topic. As consumers face inflation fatigue and tipping burnout, many servers are also struggling to earn a fair wage. These factors make us especially attentive to emerging data trends — and one restaurant platform just provided new insights.

Diners in Denver tip the highest among any major U.S. city, according to a new report from dining rewards app inKind. The platform’s research team analyzed data from its 4,500 restaurant partners across the country (visited by roughly three million app users) to examine the average tips given by users.

Typically, experts recommend tipping 15% to 20% at full-service restaurants. Some diners argue that tips should directly correlate to the quality of service, while others consistently give 20% or more. Regardless, researchers report that a whopping 90% of Americans surveyed say the overabundance of tipping opportunities indicates that gratuity culture has gone too far, per a WalletHub survey in March.

Methodologically, it’s important to note that inKind’s report aggregates data from in-app purchases, which may skew the data based on user demographics. Restaurants also need to opt into the platform, which essentially limits the data to urban and suburban dining locations. Through inKind, diners pay the bill via their inKind account (using pre-purchased restaurant credits or paying after the meal) and get 20% cash back.

The app collects data on everything from Michelin-starred restaurantslike the modern French bistro Camphor in Los Angeles, to coffee chains such as New York City’s Maman, providing a wide range of tipping information across the nation’s largest cities.

These cities go above and beyond

After Denver, diners in Austin and Seattle show the most generosity by tipping the highest averages—21.06% and 20.98%, respectively. A middle-of-the-road 20.43% tip is the average in Miami, while Houston tends to tip around 20.28%.

Other major cities like Washington, D.C. (20.10% average tip), New York City (19.91%), and Chicago (19.87%) land squarely in the middle of these rankings. The research suggests that the time of year might also influence tipping nationwide: The data, based on inKind transactions from January to August 2025, also shows that tippers left the highest gratuities at the beginning of the year.

The “worst” city still tips well

On the other end of the spectrum, inKind users in San Francisco tip an average of 18.77% when dining out. Further south, the average increases to 19% in Los Angeles, while nearby diners in San Diego leave an average of 19.17% on their bills. Cities like Dallas (19.63%), Cincinnati (19.69%), and Chicago (19.87%) aren’t far behind.

Generational differences play a role

Younger diners also aren’t tipping as generously, it seems — with Gen Z trailing all the other age groups on inKind’s platform. Members of this group average anywhere from 12% (for fast food) to a maximum of 19%, while Millennials keep pace with slightly higher gratuity. Baby Boomers, on the other hand, tend to tip an average of 21%. Of course, average salary data likely correlates with dining budgets — Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that 20- to 24-year-olds earn an average of $782 per week, while the 65-plus crowd makes $1,198.