per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈka-pə-tə 

1

: per unit of population : by or for each person

the highest income per capita of any state in the union

2

: equally to each individual

Synonyms

• all
• apiece
• each
• per

Examples of per capita in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In fact, the gap between China’s and America’s GDP per capita is even greater than Dimon laid out. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024

An overwhelming majority of Seattle residents (or 99 percent) live within 10 minutes of a public park, and the city has one of the highest annual park investments per capita in the country. —Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 24 Apr. 2024

Only one other state — Nevada — has fewer affordable homes per capita for extremely low-income renters, according to a report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. —Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024

By fine-tuning metering, enhancing leak detection, and educating users about wasteful habits, Fort Worth officials hope to trim the city’s per capita water consumption to 150 gallons per day by 2029. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024

Garfield's income levels are lower than the city of Phoenix as its per capita income and medium household income are 38% and 34% lower than the city in 2022, respectively, according to the U.S. Census. —Morgan Fischer, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2024

So global per capita emissions still must come down significantly. —Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024

That means that average income per capita across the globe will be 19% lower than in a world without climate impacts. —Justin Worland, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024

Cook’s final stop on his Southeast Asian tour was Singapore, the city-state with the region’s highest per capita income. —Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads

First Known Use

1682, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta (ˌ)pər-ˈkap-ət-ə 

: by or for each person

per capita income

Legal Definition

per capita

adverb or adjective

per cap·​i·​ta pər-ˈka-pə-tə 

1

: equally to each individual

all property to pass to the descendants per capita

—used of a method of distributing an especially intestate estate compare per stirpes

Note: Per capita distribution of an estate provides each descendant with an equal share of the estate's assets regardless of the degree of his or her kinship. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc., all receive equal shares.

2

: per unit of population : by or for each individual

a high per capita tax burden

Etymology

Medieval Latin, by heads