As we’ve long known, California is a national leader in many categories. It has the highest population (at least for now) and the largest number of homeless people. It’s also the most heavily taxed state at 13.3%. California is a prominent leader in retail theft and other crimes. But what many of us probably don’t realize is that the Golden State is also a leader in another category. Californians are the biggest bunch of cheapskates in the country, at least when it comes to tipping the wait staff at bars and restaurants. Or at least that’s the implication in a recent Restaurant Trends Report analyzing tipping patterns in states and large cities. (FEE)

Toast’s Q4 2022 Restaurant Trends Report breaks down tipping by state and major cities. The five most generous tipping cities of the twelve major metros analyzed were Cleveland (20.6%), Denver (19.8%), Salt Lake City (19.6%), Phoenix (19.5%), and Richmond (19.3%).

The lowest two cities? San Francisco (17%) and Los Angeles (17.5%).

It turns out that Californians generally are the worst tippers in the nation. A breakdown by states shows the Golden State ranks dead last in tipping (17.5%), far below the national leaders: Delaware (21.8%), Indiana (20.8%), Wyoming (20.8%), Kentucky (20.7%), and West Virginia (20.6%).

The linked article attempts to find an explanation for why Californians, particularly in the biggest blue cities, are so stingy when dealing with the waiters and waitresses who serve them in their fancy wine bars and eateries. It’s not because the people there are too poor to be able to afford to tip well. California is in the top five when it comes to average household income. And it’s not because residents don’t eat out often or spend a lot on meals. They’re in the top five in that category as well.

So how do we explain this scroogish behavior? Perhaps a look at the disparity between the various states and cities on the tipping list will offer a clue. San Francisco and Los Angeles are the two lowest-tipping cities in the country. The most generous tippers are found in Cleveland and Denver and Salt Lake City. In terms of entire states, the best tippers are found in Delaware, Indiana, Wyoming, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

Are you noticing a pattern yet? With Delaware being the outlier, all of the most generous tippers are found in red states with a similar pattern being seen for cities. And that’s true even if their median household income is significantly lower than that of Californians. Conservatives simply seem to be more generous by nature, particularly when dealing with working-class people who don’t tend to earn a lot of money.

That idea is further supported by the author of the FEE article, who cites a book on compassionate conservatism by Harvard professor Arthur Brooks. Surveys indicated that compassion and generosity were viewed differently on each side of the political aisle. Liberals were most likely to point to their support for social justice and welfare programs as an example of “generosity.” Conservatives were more likely to cite charitable donations taken out of their own pockets.

That’s an important distinction. Support for governmental social programs is not actually charity. Real charity requires a choice. The taxes that pay for welfare programs are not optional. And charity requires giving something that is actually yours to give. “Giving” other people’s money through social justice programs is neither charitable nor generous.

That conclusion is supported by other data reported by FEE. It turns out that “conservative households give 30 percent more than progressive households to charity.” That’s not a minor difference. In fact, it’s not even close.

So let’s all hoist a glass and toast Californians for once more establishing themselves as a national leader in yet another category, even if it’s just being the biggest bunch of skinflints. But if you’re hoisting your glass in a bar or restaurant, please be sure to leave a generous tip when you’re finished. You wouldn’t want the employees to think you’re from California.