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
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
Setting aside per capita comparisons and measuring productivity in hard dollars, California’s state economy ranks fifth in the world, just behind the national economies of those four countries.
—
Sabrina Haake, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
Still, those changes to Medicaid could stoke worries about millions losing coverage — the same kind of concerns that helped doom Republicans' 2017 repeal-replace plans, which included Medicaid per capita caps.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
If passed into law, these proposals would transform Medicaid by capping and cutting federal funding through block grants or per capita caps.
—Dan Mendelson, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
That year, Arizona had the second-highest rooftop solar capacity per capita of any state, according to the advocacy network Environment America.
—Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for per capita 
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Sabrina Haake, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
Still, those changes to Medicaid could stoke worries about millions losing coverage — the same kind of concerns that helped doom Republicans' 2017 repeal-replace plans, which included Medicaid per capita caps.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
If passed into law, these proposals would transform Medicaid by capping and cutting federal funding through block grants or per capita caps.
—Dan Mendelson, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
That year, Arizona had the second-highest rooftop solar capacity per capita of any state, according to the advocacy network Environment America.
—Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for per capita
Articles Related to per capita
Dictionary Entries Near per capita
Cite this Entry
“Per capita.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/per%20capita. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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