Servers in Michigan Have it Best, Studies Say

Even with the rising prices at restaurants and grocery stores, it's nice to see that Michiganders take care of each other when they sit down for a quality meal.

Tipping is in a strange place. Many people lack the extra cash to leave a server once they've finished their meal which costs significantly more than it did just a few years ago. Others simply don't believe in the practice, but boycotting it doesn't help the servers much in the short term.

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Nonetheless, servers in Michigan seem to have a solid gig compared to those in other states. A pair of recent studies agree that Michigan is one of the best states in the country when it comes to how much they tip their servers.

According to MinimumWage.com, the average tip percentage in the U.S. in 2024 was a generous 19.4%, a few ticks higher than the standard 15%. Even the worst state for tips, California, tipped significantly more than that standard at 17.8%. MinimumWage.com's study reports that Michigan tipped 20.4% last year, good for eighth-best in the nation.

Likewise, a similar study from Toast ranked Michigan 8th in the nation at 19.9%, though the seven states ahead look a bit different.

It's a bit shocking that the entire country tips as well as they do, though many states did see a dip in percentages from 2023 to 2024 according to the Toast study. Still, Michigan has some catching up to do, especially with neighboring states such as Indiana and Ohio tipping above the 20% threshold in both studies.

Again, tipping is in a strange place, especially here in Michigan. Just today lawmakers came to a compromise on the state's tipped wages laws, which have both servers and restaurant operators in quite a stressful circumstance. With that in mind, it's tough to see if the great tipping practices of customers will continue to benefit servers as intended or if it will be undermined, intentionally or otherwise, by legislation.