Local Voices

Here's a Tip: See How Generous (or Cheap) Your State is After Meals

It's National Waiters and Waitresses Day on May 21, a time to celebrate servers across the country.

Well, at least in some states. 

The mobile payments company Square released data on tens of millions of transactions to shed light on which states leave the largest tips, and which states have a lot of people who don't leave one at all. 

Quartz broke down the data to show that Alaska left the largest average tip, at 17 percent, while Illinois has the most people who leave a tip at all, at 61 percent. 

Of course, Quartz points out that Square's data aren't perfect:

"The tips it logs are paid out not in cash, but using credit cards, which likely tempt customers into doling out a bit more cash than they would otherwise. Studies have shown that as little as a credit card insignia can lead to heftier tips." 

Top 5 States for Average Tip

1. Alaska, 17 percent
2. Arkansas, 16.9
T-3. North Carolina, 16.7
T-3. West Virginia, 16.7
T-3. South Carolina, 16.7

Bottom 5 States for Average Tip

46. California, 15.5 percent
47. Wyoming, 15.4
48. South Dakota, 15.3
49. Hawaii, 15.1
50. Delaware, 14

When broken down by cities, the top three average tippers were Denver, Chicago and Tampa. A greater disparity was when it came to the percentage of people who left a tip at all, with Illinois, Colorado, Montana, Louisiana, Alaska and Washington state all above 60 percent down to only about 38 percent in Delaware. 

See where your state ranks in the full data on Quartz

TELL US: How much of a tip do you typically leave?

This article is sponsored by Wells Fargo Works. Watch the video series, then enter the contest where you could win a similar experience, including $25,000 for your business. Watch the videos and enter the contest here.

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