1. **State the problem:** We need to find the unit rate of cupcakes per box given 24 cupcakes in 3 boxes. 2. **Formula:** The unit rate is found by dividing the total quantity by the number of units. Here, it is cupcakes per box, so: $$\text{Unit rate} = \frac{\text{Total cupcakes}}{\text{Number of boxes}}$$ 3. **Apply the values:** $$\text{Unit rate} = \frac{24}{3}$$ 4. **Calculate:** $$\frac{24}{3} = 8$$ 5. **Interpretation:** There are 8 cupcakes in each box. **Final answer:** The unit rate is 8 cupcakes per box.