Are you a good tipper? What generation you're in might have something to do with it.

Tipping feels awkward largely because of the many unwritten and changing social rules we have to navigate. It is a bit embarrassing to admit, but I did not realize until about a decade ago that most people tip for haircuts. Even as an adult with a mortgage, I had no clue. I was raised in a small town with two barber shops where nobody tipped for that service. I would have gladly paid extra if I had known better, but nobody told me. As usual, my wife eventually had to set me straight. All of this confusion happens before you even figure out the correct amount to leave.

This brings up a question about whether there is a generational element at play here. When you get used to paying a certain price for gas or a burger, it is painful to watch those numbers go up. While there are many factors to consider, researchers may have found some answers.

In June 2025, the personal finance site Bankrate released the results of a detailed survey regarding the tipping habits of 2,445 adults. They discovered several interesting trends, including the fact that 63% of people held at least one negative view on tipping. The data also revealed that the likelihood of tipping usually increased with age, listing Gen Z and Millennials as the least frequent tippers.

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Which generation tips the best?

They found that 25% of Gen Z and 45% of Millennials "always tip their hair stylist/barber," while Gen X (67%) and Boomers (71%) are at much higher rates. That pattern continued for both "always" tipping at sit-down restaurants (Gen Z at 43%, Millennials at 61%, Gen X at 83%, and Boomers at 84%) and "always tipping taxi/ride-share drivers (Gen Z at 23%, Millennials at 36%, Gen X at 50%, and Boomers at 61%).

Point-of-sale company SpotOn took a different approach, surveying 1,000 U.S. restaurant industry workers in 2024. The respondents voted the most generous tippers as Gen X (35%), followed by Millennials (31%), Boomers (17%), Gen Z (10%), and The Silent Generation (7%). Asked the inverse, 48% picked The Silent Generation as the worst tippers, with Gen Z at 42%.

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But why exactly? It's hard to say for sure.

So why do certain generations tip more than others? We have to assume there are exceptions to even the loosest rule—it’s not as if everyone from Gen Z is automatically a bad tipper, despite how many surveys roll in with similar results. "This trend might be cultural, economic, or both," BankRate noted. "Notably, the two younger generations were most likely to say not having a stable income is the reason money negatively impacts their mental health, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Money and Mental Health Survey. If a young person’s paycheck is already stretched thin, they may be less inclined to add extra dollars to the bill."

No matter who’s tipping or who they’re tipping or how much they’re tipping, the whole custom is the subject of seemingly never-ending debate. In one recent example, one Redditor went viral by sharing their encounter at a restaurant. After being handed a bill for $197.87, they left what they thought was a sensible tip of $25. But the server disagreed, handing it back to them and stating they only accepted tips in the 18-20% range.

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This article originally appeared last year.