New Hampshire Ranks Top 3 in Nation for Generous Tipping

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire residents tipped an average of 20.4% at restaurants in the third quarter of 2025, securing the state the No. 3 spot among the most generous in the nation, behind Delaware at 21.1% and West Virginia at 20.9%, per Toast Inc.'s Restaurant Trends Report. Indiana rounded out the top four at 20.5%. The report, analyzing data from Toast's digital platform used by eateries nationwide, highlighted New Hampshire's consistent generosity amid broader U.S. diner fatigue, with full-service restaurant tips rebounding slightly to 19.2% nationally after a seven-year low.

Toast's findings underscore the Granite State's outlier status in a landscape where California (17.2%) and Washington (17.5%) anchored the bottom. In New Hampshire, where no-sales-tax policies already boost take-home pay for diners, the high averages reflect deep-rooted hospitality norms from bustling Portsmouth seafood spots to family diners in Manchester. Quick-service restaurant tipping remained steady at 15.8% nationally for the fourth straight quarter, but New Hampshire's full-service average exceeded the U.S. benchmark.

Despite a Bankrate survey showing 63% of Americans view tipping negatively and prefer higher business wages, New Hampshire bucked the trend with tips above 20%. Local outlets like WCYY and Shark 105.3 amplified the news, noting the state joins just three others in consistently surpassing that threshold. Servers at iconic spots such as the Puritan Backroom in Portsmouth report steady support, even as national prompts proliferate—72% of adults say tipping is now expected in more places than five years ago, per Pew Research.