A unit rate is a rate expressed per one unit, like miles per hour or price per ounce. Reducing a rate to its unit form is what makes two different quantities directly comparable.
Math Dictionary / Unit Rate
Unit Rate
A unit rate compares a quantity to one unit of another quantity.
Ratios and ProportionsGrade 6Grade 7Grade 8GEDSATACT
What it means
It answers questions like miles per hour, dollars per item, or pages per minute.
Also called: rate per one
Examples
| 60 miles in 2 hours is 30 miles per hour |
| $12 for 3 notebooks is $4 per notebook |
| 18 pages in 6 minutes is 3 pages per minute |
Common mistake
A unit rate must be per 1 unit.
Try one
Question: What is the unit rate for 24 miles in 3 hours?
Show answer
24 / 3 = 8 miles per hour.