NJ residents handing out holiday tips — who gets one and how much?

Are you planning to give service workers a tip this Holiday Season or will you be playing Scrooge?

A new report finds more New Jersey adults anticipate giving their housekeepers, childcare providers, landscapers, mail carriers, teachers and trash collectors some extra cash this year compared to last, but the median tip amount is expected to be lower than in 2021.

The Bankrate.com survey finds 56% of U.S. adults plan to give a housekeeper a tip this month, compared to 47% who did so last year.

51% of those surveyed say they’re giving their child’s teacher a tip this year, compared with 41% in 2021.

The report also finds 49% will tip a child care provider, (41% last year) 41% plan to tip a landscaper, (36% in 2021) and 31% are going to tip their mail carrier, compared with 27% last year.

Only 22% of those surveyed said they would give their garbage collector a tip this month, compared to 19% in 2021.

How much?

When folks were asked how big a tip they would give in these inflationary times, the report finds tips will be decreased for 4 out of 6 services compared to last year.

The median tip amount this year for a housekeeper is $40. Last year it was $50.

Childcare providers can expect a median tip of $25 this month — half of what they got in 2021.

The median tip for a landscaper will be $25 compared to $30 last year, teachers can expect a $20 tip, compared to $25 in 2021, and median tips for mail carriers and trash collectors will be $20, the same as last year.

Who’s more generous?

The survey finds 62% of millennials (ages 26-41) are likely to give higher tips around the holidays to service industry employees who are customarily tipped throughout the year, followed by 54% of Gen Zers (ages 18-25), 53% of Gen Xers (ages 42-57) and 48% of baby boomers (ages 58-76).

Bankrate.com commissioned YouGov Plc. to conduct the survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 2,425 U.S. adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between Nov. 9 to 11. The survey was carried out online and meets rigorous quality standards.

David Matthau is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at david.matthau@townsquaremedia.com

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