United States
Tipping by US City
“Tip 20%” is a national average, and averages hide the part you actually need. Twenty per cent is the floor in Manhattan and generous in a mid-sized city. Some states pay tipped staff a full minimum wage before tips; others let tips make up most of it. Here is what each city expects.
New York / New Jersey
New YorkTip 18–20% at restaurants, $2–3 per drink at bars, 15–20% for taxis, and $3–5 per night for hotel housekeeping.
Los Angeles
CaliforniaTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rideshares, and $3–5 per night for hotel housekeeping.
San Francisco / Bay Area
CaliforniaTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Boston
MassachusettsTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for taxis, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Miami
FloridaTip 18–20% at restaurants (check for auto-gratuity), 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Seattle
WashingtonTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Washington, DC
District of ColumbiaTip 18–20% at restaurants — but read the bill first. A service charge is easy to miss here, and it is not a tip.
Philadelphia
PennsylvaniaTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for taxis, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Atlanta
GeorgiaTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Dallas
TexasTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for drivers, and $3–5 per night for hotel housekeeping.
Houston
TexasTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Kansas City
MissouriTip 18–20% at restaurants, 15–20% for rides, and $3–5 per night for housekeeping.
Las Vegas
NevadaVegas tips more often than almost anywhere else in the US — dealers, cocktail servers and valets all expect something, usually in small bills rather than a percentage.
Chicago
IllinoisStandard 18–20% at restaurants, with one local wrinkle: Chicago is in the middle of phasing out the tipped subminimum wage, and the timetable moved in 2026.
New Orleans
LouisianaRestaurants and bars follow the usual US ranges, but New Orleans adds a layer most cities do not: street musicians, and they are working rather than busking for fun.
Detroit
MichiganTip 18–20% at restaurants, $1–2 per drink at bars, and Vegas-style at the three downtown casinos — dealers and cocktail servers work for tips.
Orlando
FloridaTip 18–20% at table service — but at Disney and Universal, check the bill first: an 18% gratuity is added automatically for parties of six or more, including at buffets.
Austin
TexasTip 18–20% at restaurants and $1–2 per drink. Food trucks and the famous barbecue lines are counter service — no tip expected, jars welcome.
Travelling outside the US? Tipping customs change by country, sometimes completely — see tipping by country.
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