Kentucky named one of worst states for tipping, per study

If you’re a hospitality professional, you’ve no doubt experienced something like this: A customer comes into your place of business for a meal or cocktails, you serve them quickly, smile, the kitchen and/or bar staff does its part to help in timely, efficient service. The customers smile as they pay their bill … and stiff you on the tip.

Check this out: A recent study by MoneyPenny identifies Kentucky as one of the worst states in the U.S. for tippers. Sure, your cheap uncle Stan is bringing down the average a bit, but in this survey of more than 2,500 people, Kentuckians averaged 17.40% per tip, which is tied for sixth worse with Arkansas.

Speaking of cheap uncles, yes, it’s the men who are dragging us all down, apparently. While the women in Kentucky are closer to the middle of the pack, the guys average a lowly 16.79% overall. That’s next to last in the U.S., beating only those cheapos in Idaho.

For comparison’s sake, the top overall state for generous tipping was New Hampshire at 20.47%, while the worst was, you guessed it, Idaho. As for our nearby neighbors to the north, Indiana, it was a top 10 state at 19.22%, with the women surveyed boosting that average with a 20.46% tipping rate, good for second in the nation.

The silver lining here is that, if indeed the accepted tipping level is 15% of the total order, at least Kentuckians are averaging above that. But given that so many hospitality workers make as little as around $2 per hour, that 20% figure sure looks better in the final tally. (You hearing us, Uncle Stan?)

(Photo by Yan Cabrera/Flickr.com)