We all know someone, or have been that someone, who earns tips. For many, it might mean the difference between getting a bill paid this week or waiting until next week. The Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law by President Trump last year and guaranteed no tax on tips, had to be music to the ears of those who earn those gratifying bonuses for their hard work. If you are one of those Americans, where is the best place to live to get the best tips?

It might be shocking to some, to others, not so much, that the bluest areas of the country are the worst tippers. According to data from the restaurant management platform Toast, during the second quarter of 2026, California, Washington State, and Washington, D.C., came in near the bottom in the nation for tipping. Restaurant customers in those states left on average less than 18 percent. It could be that Californians just can't afford a healthy tip, as they have one of the highest marginal tax rates in the country. California tippers on average leave 17.2 percent, Washington State comes in at 17.6, and the nation's capital leaves around 17.5 percent. The best places in the nation to make some decent tips are Delaware, West Virginia, and New Hampshire, which came in at the top with tip rates of 22.1, 21.0, and 20.9, respectively. Nationwide, the average came in at around 19 percent.

One of the reasons for the disparity might be the fact that many of these blue states have relatively high minimum wages. In California, the minimum wage is $16.90 an hour, whereas in Delaware, the minimum wage is $15 an hour. 

In California, there will be a one-time five percent billionaires' tax on the November ballot, and in Washington State, Democrat Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law a 9.9 percent tax on incomes over $1 million earlier this year. Chances are, if you fall into one of these tax brackets, you may have worked for tips at some point, but don't now. 

But many Americans now think that tipping may have gotten a little out of hand. Where traditionally, you might tip servers in a restaurant, now everyone from baristas and hair stylists to those who deliver furniture and appliances are asking for tips. Where does it end? How about journalists?

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Funny, though, how all of the places where elected officials voted against the Big Beautiful Bill, and the no tax on tips or overtime, seem to be the places that have the crummiest tippers. So, not only do they want those workers to not have tips, they want to tax them on the tips they manage to get.

It's not surprising to me, as someone who always tips my hairdresser, that stingy tippers are sadly the norm for those working hard in a blue state near you.