Financial stress is shrinking holiday generosity, with only one in five Americans planning to tip trash collectors, a Bankrate survey finds.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Fewer Americans intend to tip or gift their local service providers this holiday season as inflation and tight budgets continue to weigh on household spending, according to a new Bankrate survey.
The nationwide poll of 2,445 adults found that only 21 percent of Americans plan to tip their trash or recycling collectors, making them the least likely to receive a holiday bonus. Mail carriers followed close behind at 27 percent, while gardeners and snow removers rounded out the bottom three at 37 percent.
“Most people do care about these important community members,” said consumer finance expert Bobbi Rebell, “but they are also feeling their own financial stress, anxiety and budget shortfalls.” She added that many families now view generosity as “optional,” with holiday spending increasingly about making “tough choices in order to avoid creating spending hangovers.”
Despite the overall decline, some household workers remain more likely to receive holiday bonuses. Housekeepers topped the list, with 56 percent of respondents planning to tip, while childcare providers and teachers tied for second place at 47 percent. Still, both categories saw notable declines from last year — childcare providers fell from 55 percent, and teachers dropped from 53 percent.
According to Bankrate senior industry analyst Ted Rossman, the size of tips has remained largely unchanged among those who still give. “It seems that if you’re still giving a holiday tip, you’re probably giving roughly what you gave last year,” he said.
The survey also revealed a generational divide in tipping habits. Gen Z (ages 18–28) and millennials (29–44) were more likely to tip than older generations — 44 percent and 42 percent respectively — a trend Rebell attributes to younger consumers being raised in a “culture where tipping prompts are in more places than ever.”
Still, she cautioned that social expectations don’t always align with financial ability. “Feeling obligated is not the same as having the means to be as generous as you want to be or as generous as you feel pressure to be,” Rebell said. “The social pressure is real.”
With Christmas just weeks away, the survey paints a sobering picture of a holiday season where rising costs are prompting many Americans to prioritize essentials — leaving fewer tips, and fewer surprises, for those who help keep daily life running smoothly.
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