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 of per capita

• a shot
• each
• per
• a pop

Examples of per capita in a Sentence

we expect the students to receive less funding per capita this year due to a marked increase in the school-age population

Recent Examples on the Web

Atlanta dominates spending by city Out of the top 167 cities included in the OnlyFans data, the city of Atlanta blew the rest of the country out of the water in per capita spending. —Irene Wright, USA Today, 15 June 2026

Philadelphia, for example, has the fewest officers per capita in 40 years and just posted its lowest annual homicide total—222—since 1966. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 June 2026

Along with overall spending per state, OnlyGuider broke down the amount spent per 10,000 people in an area and ranked areas per capita and general national ranking. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado june 12, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026

In the North of Mexico, metro Monterrey’s real GDP per capita is about 50% higher than Guadalajara’s. —Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

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