State near bottom for tips at restaurants

When compared to other states, Mississippians are apparently not very generous in their tips at restaurants, bars, or other places where food is eaten outside of home. That’s according to a new survey out from the U.S.-based online financial services marketplace LendingTree.

LendingTree did a survey on tips and restaurant spending among Americans with their analysis of 2023 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS).

It found that Americans spent about $77.6 billion on tips for away-from-home food purchases in 2023. That is 15.02 percent of spending at full-service restaurants.

New Hampshire is the state to lead the nation in tipping rates on away-from-home food purchases at 16.07 percent. That compares to Utah, considered the stingiest for tips at 4.07 percent. Mississippi is ranked just above Utah 4.91 percent. 

Mississippians also do not spend much on food away from home with a per capita spending of $2,927. Compare that to Washington, D.C. diners, which spend per capita $10,291.

The complete report is found on the LendingTree website.