S&P 500 Returns since 1970 (2024)

Stock market returns since 1970

If you invested $100 in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 1970, you would have about $27,369.78 at the end of 2024, assuming you reinvested all dividends. This is a return on investment of 27,269.78%, or 10.86% per year.

This lump-sum investment beats inflation during this period for an inflation-adjusted return of about 3,273.45% cumulatively, or 6.68% per year.

If you used dollar-cost averaging (monthly) instead of a lump-sum investment, you'd have $26,511.34.

Contents

Overview
Adjusting for inflation
Full monthly data
Dollar cost average

The graph below shows the performance of $100 over time if invested in an S&P 500 index fund. The returns assume that all dividends are automatically reinvested.

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Adjusting stock market return for inflation

The nominal return on investment of $100 is $27,269.78, or 27,269.78%. This means by 2024 you would have $27,369.78 in your pocket.

However, it's important to take into account the effect of inflation when considering an investment and especially a long-term investment. You can convert S&P returns to their real (inflation-adjusted) value using an inflation calculation based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI).

In the case of the returns described above, the CPI in 1970 was 38.800 and the CPI in 2024 was 314.796.

The ratio between these CPIs describes how relative buying power of a dollar has changed over 54 years.

Adjusted for inflation, the $27,369.78 nominal end value of the original $100 investment would have a real return of roughly $3,273.45 in 1970 dollars. This means the inflation-adjusted return is 3,273.45% as opposed to the original 27,269.78%.

For more information on inflation, see our U.S. inflation calculator for 1970.

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Full monthly data

The table below shows the full dataset pertaining to a $100 investment, including gains and losses over the 653-month period between 1970 and 2024.

Note that data shown is the monthly average closing price. Returns include dividends.

Year	Month	Return (%)	Amount ($)	CPI
1970	1	-3.20%	96.80	37.80
1970	2	2.01%	98.75	38.00
1970	3	-2.75%	96.04	38.20
1970	4	-11.20%	85.28	38.50
1970	5	-0.27%	85.05	38.60
1970	6	0.52%	85.50	38.80
1970	7	3.26%	88.28	39.00
1970	8	6.32%	93.86	39.00
1970	9	2.49%	96.20	39.20
1970	10	0.21%	96.40	39.40
1970	11	7.16%	103.30	39.60
1970	12	4.11%	107.54	39.80
1971	1	4.15%	112.01	39.80
1971	2	2.83%	115.18	39.90
1971	3	3.67%	119.41	40.00
1971	4	-1.11%	118.09	40.10
1971	5	-1.60%	116.20	40.30
1971	6	-0.46%	115.67	40.60
1971	7	-1.52%	113.91	40.70
1971	8	2.49%	116.74	40.80
1971	9	-1.86%	114.57	40.80
1971	10	-4.37%	109.56	40.90
1971	11	7.16%	117.41	40.90
1971	12	4.42%	122.60	41.10
1972	1	2.09%	125.16	41.10
1972	2	2.62%	128.44	41.30
1972	3	1.26%	130.05	41.40
1972	4	-0.78%	129.05	41.50
1972	5	0.52%	129.71	41.60
1972	6	-0.50%	129.06	41.70
1972	7	3.78%	133.94	41.90
1972	8	-1.21%	132.32	42.00
1972	9	0.42%	132.87	42.10
1972	10	5.25%	139.85	42.30
1972	11	2.31%	143.09	42.40
1972	12	0.99%	144.50	42.50
1973	1	-3.33%	139.70	42.60
1973	2	-1.35%	137.82	42.90
1973	3	-1.63%	135.57	43.30
1973	4	-2.57%	132.08	43.60
1973	5	-1.99%	129.45	43.90
1973	6	1.21%	131.02	44.20
1973	7	-1.64%	128.88	44.30
1973	8	2.00%	131.45	45.10
1973	9	4.24%	137.02	45.20
1973	10	-6.85%	127.63	45.60
1973	11	-6.81%	118.94	45.90
1973	12	1.70%	120.96	46.20
1974	1	-2.47%	117.97	46.60
1974	2	4.57%	123.37	47.20
1974	3	-4.82%	117.43	47.80
1974	4	-2.71%	114.25	48.00
1974	5	0.46%	114.77	48.60
1974	6	-11.35%	101.75	49.00
1974	7	-3.76%	97.92	49.40
1974	8	-10.01%	88.11	50.00
1974	9	2.38%	90.21	50.60
1974	10	3.74%	93.59	51.10
1974	11	-6.09%	87.88	51.50
1974	12	8.63%	95.47	51.90
1975	1	10.81%	105.79	52.10
1975	2	4.97%	111.05	52.50
1975	3	1.49%	112.70	52.70
1975	4	6.71%	120.27	52.90
1975	5	2.89%	123.75	53.20
1975	6	0.43%	124.28	53.60
1975	7	-7.00%	115.59	54.20
1975	8	-0.85%	114.60	54.30
1975	9	4.97%	120.30	54.60
1975	10	2.04%	122.76	54.90
1975	11	-1.18%	121.31	55.30
1975	12	9.55%	132.89	55.50
1976	1	4.18%	138.44	55.60
1976	2	0.80%	139.55	55.80
1976	3	1.10%	141.08	55.90
1976	4	-0.38%	140.54	56.10
1976	5	0.90%	141.80	56.50
1976	6	2.67%	145.58	56.80
1976	7	-0.56%	144.77	57.10
1976	8	2.44%	148.30	57.40
1976	9	-3.11%	143.69	57.60
1976	10	-0.37%	143.16	57.90
1976	11	3.79%	148.58	58.00
1976	12	-0.54%	147.78	58.20
1977	1	-2.37%	144.28	58.50
1977	2	-0.05%	144.20	59.10
1977	3	-1.19%	142.48	59.50
1977	4	0.06%	142.57	60.00
1977	5	0.90%	143.86	60.30
1977	6	1.28%	145.70	60.70
1977	7	-2.08%	142.67	61.00
1977	8	-1.18%	141.00	61.20
1977	9	-2.20%	137.90	61.40
1977	10	0.98%	139.25	61.60
1977	11	-0.08%	139.14	61.90
1977	12	-3.39%	134.42	62.10
1978	1	-0.97%	133.12	62.50
1978	2	0.27%	133.47	62.90
1978	3	4.83%	139.92	63.40
1978	4	5.50%	147.62	63.90
1978	5	0.67%	148.61	64.50
1978	6	-0.06%	148.52	65.20
1978	7	7.33%	159.40	65.70
1978	8	0.40%	160.04	66.00
1978	9	-2.77%	155.60	66.50
1978	10	-5.44%	147.14	67.10
1978	11	1.92%	149.97	67.40
1978	12	4.19%	156.25	67.70
1979	1	-1.06%	154.59	68.30
1979	2	2.34%	158.21	69.10
1979	3	2.43%	162.06	69.80
1979	4	-1.89%	158.99	70.60
1979	5	2.42%	162.84	71.50
1979	6	1.42%	165.15	72.30
1979	7	5.01%	173.43	73.10
1979	8	1.54%	176.10	73.80
1979	9	-3.35%	170.20	74.60
1979	10	-0.32%	169.65	75.20
1979	11	4.40%	177.12	75.90
1979	12	3.31%	182.99	76.70
1980	1	4.40%	191.03	77.80
1980	2	-8.78%	174.26	78.90
1980	3	-1.16%	172.24	80.10
1980	4	5.04%	180.91	81.00
1980	5	6.86%	193.33	81.80
1980	6	4.97%	202.94	82.70
1980	7	3.50%	210.05	82.70
1980	8	2.84%	216.00	83.30
1980	9	3.32%	223.19	84.00
1980	10	4.61%	233.49	84.80
1980	11	-1.24%	230.58	85.50
1980	12	0.01%	230.60	86.30
1981	1	-3.07%	223.52	87.00
1981	2	4.14%	232.78	87.90
1981	3	1.29%	235.80	88.50
1981	4	-1.62%	231.98	89.10
1981	5	0.86%	233.97	89.80
1981	6	-2.02%	229.25	90.60
1981	7	0.80%	231.09	91.60
1981	8	-8.30%	211.91	92.30
1981	9	1.73%	215.57	93.20
1981	10	3.04%	222.13	93.40
1981	11	1.18%	224.75	93.70
1981	12	-4.80%	213.95	94.00
1982	1	-1.91%	209.86	94.30
1982	2	-2.74%	204.10	94.60
1982	3	5.47%	215.26	94.50
1982	4	0.57%	216.49	94.90
1982	5	-5.27%	205.07	95.80
1982	6	0.24%	205.58	97.00
1982	7	0.79%	207.21	97.50
1982	8	12.10%	232.27	97.70
1982	9	8.88%	252.90	97.90
1982	10	4.50%	264.28	98.20
1982	11	1.36%	267.86	98.00
1982	12	3.93%	278.38	97.60
1983	1	2.13%	284.31	97.80
1983	2	3.87%	295.30	97.90
1983	3	4.20%	307.69	97.90
1983	4	4.42%	321.31	98.60
1983	5	1.75%	326.94	99.20
1983	6	0.71%	329.26	99.50
1983	7	-2.41%	321.33	99.90
1983	8	3.31%	331.98	100.20
1983	9	0.65%	334.13	100.70
1983	10	-1.14%	330.32	101.00
1983	11	-0.13%	329.89	101.20
1983	12	1.58%	335.09	101.30
1984	1	-5.11%	317.96	101.90
1984	2	0.44%	319.37	102.40
1984	3	0.51%	320.99	102.60
1984	4	-0.25%	320.18	103.10
1984	5	-1.85%	314.26	103.40
1984	6	-0.91%	311.40	103.70
1984	7	9.21%	340.07	104.10
1984	8	1.41%	344.86	104.50
1984	9	-0.41%	343.44	105.00
1984	10	1.29%	347.85	105.30
1984	11	-0.71%	345.39	105.30
1984	12	4.70%	361.62	105.30
1985	1	5.79%	382.54	105.50
1985	2	-0.48%	380.71	106.00
1985	3	1.02%	384.61	106.40
1985	4	2.74%	395.14	106.90
1985	5	2.51%	405.06	107.30
1985	6	2.25%	414.16	107.60
1985	7	-1.85%	406.52	107.80
1985	8	-1.88%	398.86	108.00
1985	9	1.50%	404.82	108.30
1985	10	6.42%	430.81	108.70
1985	11	5.29%	453.62	109.00
1985	12	0.75%	457.03	109.30
1986	1	5.70%	483.07	109.60
1986	2	6.18%	512.94	109.30
1986	3	2.74%	527.00	108.80
1986	4	0.49%	529.59	108.60
1986	5	3.13%	546.18	108.90
1986	6	-1.80%	536.33	109.50
1986	7	2.28%	548.56	109.50
1986	8	-2.46%	535.09	109.70
1986	9	-0.09%	534.61	110.20
1986	10	3.53%	553.50	110.30
1986	11	1.71%	562.96	110.40
1986	12	6.67%	600.52	110.50
1987	1	6.46%	639.33	111.20
1987	2	4.38%	667.31	111.60
1987	3	-0.86%	661.59	112.10
1987	4	0.17%	662.74	112.70
1987	5	4.50%	692.55	113.10
1987	6	3.12%	714.17	113.50
1987	7	6.45%	760.26	113.80
1987	8	-3.03%	737.23	114.40
1987	9	-11.85%	649.84	115.00
1987	10	-12.30%	569.88	115.30
1987	11	-1.33%	562.28	115.40
1987	12	4.25%	586.15	115.40
1988	1	3.33%	605.67	115.70
1988	2	3.23%	625.24	116.00
1988	3	-0.89%	619.70	116.50
1988	4	-2.19%	606.14	117.10
1988	5	6.00%	642.50	117.50
1988	6	-0.31%	640.53	118.00
1988	7	-1.72%	629.52	118.50
1988	8	1.93%	641.65	119.00
1988	9	3.80%	666.04	119.80
1988	10	-2.02%	652.59	120.20
1988	11	2.33%	667.77	120.30
1988	12	3.51%	691.22	120.50
1989	1	3.30%	714.03	121.10
1989	2	-0.16%	712.88	121.60
1989	3	3.56%	738.29	122.30
1989	4	4.12%	768.67	123.10
1989	5	3.39%	794.75	123.80
1989	6	2.80%	817.01	124.10
1989	7	4.69%	855.33	124.40
1989	8	0.46%	859.23	124.60
1989	9	0.29%	861.69	125.00
1989	10	-1.81%	846.06	125.60
1989	11	2.74%	869.21	125.90
1989	12	-2.21%	849.99	126.10
1990	1	-2.53%	828.51	127.40
1990	2	2.71%	850.94	128.00
1990	3	0.20%	852.61	128.70
1990	4	3.85%	885.44	128.90
1990	5	3.17%	913.51	129.20
1990	6	0.17%	915.06	129.90
1990	7	-7.86%	843.13	130.40
1990	8	-4.34%	806.52	131.60
1990	9	-2.32%	787.85	132.70
1990	10	2.98%	811.36	133.50
1990	11	4.59%	848.57	133.80
1990	12	-0.69%	842.75	133.80
1991	1	11.61%	940.57	134.60
1991	2	3.04%	969.21	134.80
1991	3	2.26%	991.10	135.00
1991	4	-0.18%	989.33	135.20
1991	5	0.35%	992.76	135.60
1991	6	0.78%	1,000.51	136.00
1991	7	2.68%	1,027.31	136.20
1991	8	-0.30%	1,024.20	136.60
1991	9	0.18%	1,026.06	137.20
1991	10	0.02%	1,026.22	137.40
1991	11	0.94%	1,035.82	137.80
1991	12	7.36%	1,112.03	137.90
1992	1	-0.60%	1,105.35	138.10
1992	2	-1.01%	1,094.16	138.60
1992	3	0.26%	1,097.05	139.30
1992	4	2.07%	1,119.74	139.50
1992	5	-1.33%	1,104.86	139.70
1992	6	1.91%	1,125.99	140.20
1992	7	0.94%	1,136.59	140.50
1992	8	0.38%	1,140.89	140.90
1992	9	-1.18%	1,127.40	141.30
1992	10	2.76%	1,158.49	141.80
1992	11	3.27%	1,196.38	142.00
1992	12	0.14%	1,198.09	141.90
1993	1	1.72%	1,218.75	142.60
1993	2	2.15%	1,244.95	143.10
1993	3	-1.34%	1,228.25	143.60
1993	4	0.72%	1,237.15	144.00
1993	5	0.87%	1,247.86	144.20
1993	6	0.06%	1,248.62	144.40
1993	7	1.76%	1,270.62	144.40
1993	8	1.35%	1,287.84	144.80
1993	9	1.24%	1,303.83	145.10
1993	10	0.01%	1,303.93	145.70
1993	11	0.89%	1,315.50	145.80
1993	12	1.74%	1,338.34	145.80
1994	1	-0.08%	1,337.32	146.20
1994	2	-1.42%	1,318.28	146.70
1994	3	-3.35%	1,274.17	147.20
1994	4	1.06%	1,287.65	147.40
1994	5	1.11%	1,301.92	147.50
1994	6	-0.52%	1,295.16	148.00
1994	7	3.08%	1,335.08	148.40
1994	8	0.82%	1,346.00	149.00
1994	9	-0.44%	1,340.02	149.40
1994	10	-0.37%	1,335.06	149.50
1994	11	-1.03%	1,321.37	149.70
1994	12	2.45%	1,353.76	149.70
1995	1	3.82%	1,405.46	150.30
1995	2	2.56%	1,441.41	150.90
1995	3	3.22%	1,487.76	151.40
1995	4	3.35%	1,537.57	151.90
1995	5	3.18%	1,586.44	152.20
1995	6	3.55%	1,642.72	152.50
1995	7	0.51%	1,651.15	152.50
1995	8	3.72%	1,712.53	152.90
1995	9	0.91%	1,728.16	153.20
1995	10	2.36%	1,768.92	153.70
1995	11	3.39%	1,828.87	153.60
1995	12	0.16%	1,831.84	153.50
1996	1	5.90%	1,940.00	154.40
1996	2	-0.20%	1,936.11	154.90
1996	3	0.20%	1,939.92	155.70
1996	4	2.35%	1,985.60	156.30
1996	5	1.28%	2,010.99	156.60
1996	6	-3.48%	1,941.08	156.70
1996	7	3.08%	2,000.78	157.00
1996	8	2.02%	2,041.27	157.30
1996	9	4.12%	2,125.36	157.80
1996	10	5.05%	2,232.74	158.30
1996	11	1.20%	2,259.49	158.60
1996	12	3.26%	2,333.09	158.60
1997	1	4.36%	2,434.84	159.10
1997	2	-0.62%	2,419.66	159.60
1997	3	-3.41%	2,337.26	160.00
1997	4	9.22%	2,552.71	160.20
1997	5	5.34%	2,688.94	160.10
1997	6	5.74%	2,843.18	160.30
1997	7	0.35%	2,853.06	160.50
1997	8	1.19%	2,887.07	160.80
1997	9	1.65%	2,934.58	161.20
1997	10	-1.15%	2,900.77	161.60
1997	11	2.63%	2,977.19	161.50
1997	12	0.24%	2,984.25	161.30
1998	1	6.40%	3,175.31	161.60
1998	2	5.31%	3,344.01	161.90
1998	3	3.41%	3,457.89	162.20
1998	4	-0.22%	3,450.22	162.50
1998	5	0.12%	3,454.24	162.80
1998	6	4.47%	3,608.56	163.00
1998	7	-6.97%	3,357.01	163.20
1998	8	-4.90%	3,192.57	163.40
1998	9	1.29%	3,233.78	163.60
1998	10	10.97%	3,588.67	164.00
1998	11	4.10%	3,735.95	164.00
1998	12	5.05%	3,924.53	163.90
1999	1	-0.07%	3,921.91	164.30
1999	2	2.92%	4,036.57	164.50
1999	3	4.25%	4,208.12	165.00
1999	4	-0.10%	4,203.97	166.20
1999	5	-0.61%	4,178.25	166.20
1999	6	4.52%	4,367.20	166.20
1999	7	-3.77%	4,202.37	166.70
1999	8	-0.60%	4,177.24	167.10
1999	9	-1.27%	4,124.08	167.90
1999	10	7.11%	4,417.14	168.20
1999	11	2.81%	4,541.20	168.30
1999	12	-0.12%	4,535.80	168.30
2000	1	-2.48%	4,423.40	168.80
2000	2	3.94%	4,597.73	169.80
2000	3	1.42%	4,663.23	171.20
2000	4	-2.84%	4,530.85	171.30
2000	5	3.16%	4,674.18	171.50
2000	6	0.85%	4,713.93	172.40
2000	7	0.94%	4,758.23	172.80
2000	8	-1.08%	4,706.85	172.80
2000	9	-5.21%	4,461.43	173.70
2000	10	-0.77%	4,426.96	174.00
2000	11	-3.32%	4,279.98	174.10
2000	12	0.46%	4,299.46	174.00
2001	1	-2.14%	4,207.61	175.10
2001	2	-9.08%	3,825.56	175.80
2001	3	0.45%	3,842.73	176.20
2001	4	6.88%	4,107.08	176.90
2001	5	-2.39%	4,008.98	177.70
2001	6	-2.66%	3,902.33	178.00
2001	7	-2.05%	3,822.49	177.50
2001	8	-11.25%	3,392.57	177.50
2001	9	3.18%	3,500.59	178.30
2001	10	5.05%	3,677.48	177.70
2001	11	1.47%	3,731.39	177.40
2001	12	-0.30%	3,720.28	176.70
2002	1	-3.35%	3,595.55	177.10
2002	2	4.95%	3,773.36	177.80
2002	3	-3.51%	3,640.75	178.80
2002	4	-2.82%	3,538.06	179.80
2002	5	-5.92%	3,328.58	179.80
2002	6	-10.76%	2,970.47	179.90
2002	7	1.14%	3,004.30	180.10
2002	8	-4.76%	2,861.36	180.70
2002	9	-1.37%	2,822.25	181.00
2002	10	6.63%	3,009.24	181.30
2002	11	-1.04%	2,978.09	181.30
2002	12	-0.22%	2,971.46	180.90
2003	1	-6.41%	2,780.85	181.70
2003	2	1.31%	2,817.22	183.10
2003	3	5.29%	2,966.13	184.20
2003	4	5.31%	3,123.70	183.80
2003	5	5.70%	3,301.88	183.50
2003	6	0.60%	3,321.56	183.70
2003	7	-0.17%	3,316.03	183.90
2003	8	3.16%	3,420.86	184.60
2003	9	2.03%	3,490.23	185.20
2003	10	1.21%	3,532.48	185.00
2003	11	3.06%	3,640.71	184.50
2003	12	4.93%	3,820.38	184.30
2004	1	1.09%	3,861.89	185.20
2004	2	-1.57%	3,801.44	186.20
2004	3	0.97%	3,838.25	187.40
2004	4	-2.56%	3,739.83	188.00
2004	5	2.86%	3,846.70	189.10
2004	6	-2.24%	3,760.58	189.70
2004	7	-1.39%	3,708.40	189.40
2004	8	2.78%	3,811.59	189.50
2004	9	0.10%	3,815.50	189.90
2004	10	4.77%	3,997.65	190.90
2004	11	2.73%	4,106.68	191.00
2004	12	-1.35%	4,051.27	190.30
2005	1	1.68%	4,119.38	190.70
2005	2	-0.26%	4,108.85	191.80
2005	3	-2.41%	4,009.87	193.30
2005	4	1.34%	4,063.44	194.60
2005	5	2.18%	4,152.05	194.40
2005	6	1.81%	4,227.11	194.50
2005	7	0.31%	4,240.22	195.40
2005	8	0.28%	4,252.08	196.40
2005	9	-2.62%	4,140.49	198.80
2005	10	3.96%	4,304.52	199.20
2005	11	2.14%	4,396.82	197.60
2005	12	1.47%	4,461.31	196.80
2006	1	-0.02%	4,460.56	198.30
2006	2	1.49%	4,526.85	198.70
2006	3	0.80%	4,562.99	199.80
2006	4	-0.79%	4,527.10	201.50
2006	5	-2.71%	4,404.61	202.50
2006	6	0.72%	4,436.32	202.90
2006	7	2.29%	4,537.99	203.50
2006	8	2.53%	4,652.86	203.90
2006	9	3.62%	4,821.10	202.90
2006	10	2.00%	4,917.60	201.80
2006	11	2.15%	5,023.24	201.50
2006	12	0.69%	5,058.05	201.80
2007	1	1.60%	5,138.77	202.42
2007	2	-2.47%	5,011.65	203.50
2007	3	4.18%	5,221.15	205.35
2007	4	3.39%	5,398.23	206.69
2007	5	0.34%	5,416.85	207.95
2007	6	0.57%	5,447.98	208.35
2007	7	-4.20%	5,219.10	208.30
2007	8	3.07%	5,379.58	207.92
2007	9	2.99%	5,540.52	208.49
2007	10	-4.81%	5,274.22	208.94
2007	11	1.24%	5,339.53	210.18
2007	12	-6.64%	4,985.24	210.04
2008	1	-1.56%	4,907.27	211.08
2008	2	-2.63%	4,778.38	211.69
2008	3	4.24%	4,981.16	213.53
2008	4	2.56%	5,108.81	214.82
2008	5	-4.25%	4,891.86	216.63
2008	6	-6.08%	4,594.51	218.82
2008	7	2.11%	4,691.48	219.96
2008	8	-4.85%	4,464.06	219.09
2008	9	-20.19%	3,562.60	218.78
2008	10	-8.61%	3,256.03	216.57
2008	11	-0.35%	3,244.59	212.43
2008	12	-1.10%	3,209.05	210.23
2009	1	-6.70%	2,993.96	211.14
2009	2	-5.69%	2,823.68	212.19
2009	3	12.32%	3,171.61	212.71
2009	4	6.66%	3,382.83	213.24
2009	5	2.87%	3,479.88	213.86
2009	6	1.28%	3,524.34	215.69
2009	7	8.12%	3,810.54	215.35
2009	8	3.65%	3,949.64	215.83
2009	9	2.40%	4,044.55	215.97
2009	10	2.09%	4,129.26	216.18
2009	11	2.23%	4,221.17	216.33
2009	12	1.36%	4,278.45	215.95
2010	1	-2.90%	4,154.44	216.69
2010	2	5.94%	4,401.34	216.74
2010	3	4.09%	4,581.27	217.63
2010	4	-5.88%	4,311.78	218.01
2010	5	-3.54%	4,158.99	218.18
2010	6	-0.16%	4,152.37	217.97
2010	7	0.86%	4,188.23	218.01
2010	8	3.37%	4,329.42	218.31
2010	9	4.58%	4,527.60	218.44
2010	10	2.49%	4,640.38	218.71
2010	11	3.71%	4,812.71	218.80
2010	12	3.46%	4,979.33	219.18
2011	1	3.15%	5,136.23	220.22
2011	2	-1.11%	5,079.09	221.31
2011	3	2.22%	5,191.89	223.47
2011	4	0.66%	5,226.12	224.91
2011	5	-3.66%	5,034.71	225.96
2011	6	3.10%	5,190.87	225.72
2011	7	-10.40%	4,650.99	225.92
2011	8	-0.79%	4,614.28	226.55
2011	9	3.02%	4,753.58	226.89
2011	10	1.77%	4,837.58	226.42
2011	11	1.55%	4,912.80	226.23
2011	12	4.78%	5,147.75	225.67
2012	1	4.16%	5,362.03	226.67
2012	2	2.88%	5,516.67	227.66
2012	3	-0.04%	5,514.56	229.39
2012	4	-3.09%	5,344.11	230.09
2012	5	-1.15%	5,282.52	229.82
2012	6	2.92%	5,436.83	229.48
2012	7	3.39%	5,621.01	229.10
2012	8	3.02%	5,790.83	230.38
2012	9	-0.22%	5,778.26	231.41
2012	10	-2.84%	5,614.30	231.32
2012	11	2.18%	5,736.44	230.22
2012	12	4.27%	5,981.31	229.60
2013	1	2.33%	6,120.86	230.28
2013	2	2.72%	6,287.50	232.17
2013	3	1.45%	6,378.90	232.77
2013	4	4.57%	6,670.69	232.53
2013	5	-1.12%	6,596.13	232.95
2013	6	3.25%	6,810.80	233.50
2013	7	0.25%	6,828.00	233.60
2013	8	1.19%	6,909.42	233.88
2013	9	2.12%	7,055.73	234.15
2013	10	3.86%	7,328.08	233.55
2013	11	1.52%	7,439.59	233.07
2013	12	0.97%	7,511.59	233.05
2014	1	-0.13%	7,501.82	233.92
2014	2	2.72%	7,706.04	234.78
2014	3	0.20%	7,721.59	236.29
2014	4	1.53%	7,839.88	237.07
2014	5	3.20%	8,090.47	237.90
2014	6	1.50%	8,211.49	238.34
2014	7	-0.43%	8,176.43	238.25
2014	8	1.78%	8,321.81	237.85
2014	9	-2.65%	8,101.57	238.03
2014	10	5.71%	8,563.82	237.43
2014	11	0.63%	8,618.10	236.15
2014	12	-1.11%	8,522.44	234.81
2015	1	2.83%	8,763.40	233.71
2015	2	0.06%	8,768.25	234.72
2015	3	0.88%	8,845.27	236.12
2015	4	0.98%	8,931.86	236.60
2015	5	-0.44%	8,892.96	237.81
2015	6	-0.08%	8,885.88	238.64
2015	7	-2.42%	8,670.45	238.65
2015	8	-4.51%	8,279.66	238.32
2015	9	4.32%	8,637.11	237.95
2015	10	2.93%	8,890.39	237.84
2015	11	-1.10%	8,792.33	237.34
2015	12	-6.42%	8,227.89	236.53
2016	1	-0.55%	8,182.65	236.92
2016	2	6.36%	8,703.29	237.11
2016	3	2.83%	8,949.70	238.13
2016	4	-0.30%	8,922.46	239.26
2016	5	1.07%	9,017.62	240.23
2016	6	3.30%	9,314.97	241.02
2016	7	1.20%	9,426.68	240.63
2016	8	-0.44%	9,385.33	240.85
2016	9	-0.51%	9,337.84	241.43
2016	10	1.20%	9,450.00	241.73
2016	11	3.95%	9,822.90	241.35
2016	12	1.44%	9,964.11	241.43
2017	1	2.58%	10,220.83	242.84
2017	2	1.75%	10,399.62	243.60
2017	3	-0.15%	10,383.61	243.80
2017	4	1.69%	10,559.34	244.52
2017	5	1.78%	10,746.91	244.73
2017	6	0.99%	10,853.08	244.96
2017	7	0.25%	10,879.98	244.79
2017	8	1.65%	11,059.85	245.52
2017	9	2.73%	11,362.31	246.82
2017	10	1.59%	11,542.93	246.66
2017	11	2.88%	11,875.77	246.67
2017	12	4.86%	12,453.15	246.52
2018	1	-2.89%	12,093.67	247.87
2018	2	0.06%	12,101.48	248.99
2018	3	-1.66%	11,900.11	249.55
2018	4	1.96%	12,133.55	250.55
2018	5	2.11%	12,389.93	251.59
2018	6	1.58%	12,585.78	251.99
2018	7	2.45%	12,894.23	252.01
2018	8	1.68%	13,110.82	252.15
2018	9	-3.85%	12,606.19	252.44
2018	10	-2.08%	12,344.47	252.89
2018	11	-5.56%	11,657.81	252.04
2018	12	1.74%	11,860.15	251.23
2019	1	5.83%	12,551.46	251.71
2019	2	1.95%	12,795.97	252.78
2019	3	3.72%	13,272.39	254.20
2019	4	-1.53%	13,069.09	255.55
2019	5	1.40%	13,252.67	256.09
2019	6	3.83%	13,759.90	256.14
2019	7	-3.13%	13,328.61	256.57
2019	8	3.09%	13,739.82	256.56
2019	9	0.01%	13,741.17	256.76
2019	10	4.43%	14,350.41	257.35
2019	11	2.47%	14,704.77	257.21
2019	12	3.35%	15,196.85	256.97
2020	1	0.12%	15,215.40	257.97
2020	2	-18.92%	12,337.00	258.68
2020	3	4.32%	12,869.78	258.12
2020	4	5.89%	13,627.47	256.39
2020	5	6.51%	14,514.39	256.39
2020	6	3.48%	15,018.97	257.80
2020	7	5.89%	15,904.11	259.10
2020	8	-0.63%	15,804.40	259.92
2020	9	1.73%	16,077.18	260.28
2020	10	3.95%	16,712.89	260.39
2020	11	4.26%	17,424.87	260.23
2020	12	2.80%	17,911.95	260.47
2021	1	2.49%	18,358.23	261.58
2021	2	0.82%	18,509.02	263.01
2021	3	6.02%	19,623.54	264.88
2021	4	0.76%	19,772.72	267.05
2021	5	1.81%	20,130.69	269.20
2021	6	3.07%	20,748.34	271.70
2021	7	2.19%	21,201.73	273.00
2021	8	-0.08%	21,183.81	273.57
2021	9	0.45%	21,279.60	274.31
2021	10	4.74%	22,289.26	276.59
2021	11	0.27%	22,348.42	277.95
2021	12	-2.05%	21,889.84	278.80
2022	1	-2.90%	21,254.47	281.15
2022	2	-0.89%	21,064.76	283.72
2022	3	0.12%	21,089.68	287.50
2022	4	-7.87%	19,429.34	289.11
2022	5	-3.37%	18,774.69	292.30
2022	6	0.46%	18,861.94	296.31
2022	7	6.45%	20,078.04	296.28
2022	8	-7.28%	18,616.88	296.17
2022	9	-3.09%	18,041.40	296.81
2022	10	5.29%	18,994.90	298.01
2022	11	0.01%	18,996.96	297.71
2022	12	1.38%	19,258.45	296.80
2023	1	3.15%	19,864.51	299.17
2023	2	-2.59%	19,350.92	300.84
2023	3	4.00%	20,124.23	301.84
2023	4	0.74%	20,272.68	303.36
2023	5	4.94%	21,274.60	304.13
2023	6	3.88%	22,099.21	305.11
2023	7	-1.00%	21,878.74	305.69
2023	8	-0.95%	21,670.11	307.03
2023	9	-3.04%	21,011.92	307.79
2023	10	4.60%	21,978.83	307.67
2023	11	5.18%	23,116.29	307.05
2023	12	2.91%	23,789.40	306.75
2024	1	4.20%	24,788.38	308.42
2024	2	3.28%	25,601.97	310.33
2024	3	-1.01%	25,343.61	312.33
2024	4	2.52%	25,981.44	313.55
2024	5	5.34%	27,369.78	314.07

Click to show 642 more rows

Remember, returns are based on the average closing price across the entire month. Some losses are offset by dividend returns.

Dollar-cost averaging

Dollar-cost averaging is an alternative to investing the full lump-sum of $100.00 up-front. Instead, the capital is invested over a period of time.

Consider a strategy in which $100.00 was invested in the S&P 500 over a period of no more than 24 months beginning in 1970. This would result in a final amount of $26,511.34, including dividend reinvestments. In this particular case, dollar-cost average returns are less than the returns of a lump-sum investment (which ends with $27,369.78).

Year	Month	Contribution ($)	Amount ($)
1970	1	4.16	4.01
1970	2	4.16	8.33
1970	3	4.16	12.13
1970	4	4.16	14.45
1970	5	4.16	18.55
1970	6	4.16	22.81
1970	7	4.16	27.84
1970	8	4.16	34.01
1970	9	4.16	39.10
1970	10	4.16	43.34
1970	11	4.16	50.89
1970	12	4.16	57.30
1971	1	4.16	64.00
1971	2	4.16	70.07
1971	3	4.16	76.95
1971	4	4.16	80.20
1971	5	4.16	83.01
1971	6	4.16	86.75
1971	7	4.16	89.52
1971	8	4.16	96.00
1971	9	4.16	98.28
1971	10	4.16	97.95
1971	11	4.16	109.42
1971	12	4.32	118.75
1972	1	-	121.23
1972	2	-	124.41
1972	3	-	125.98
1972	4	-	125.00
1972	5	-	125.64
1972	6	-	125.01
1972	7	-	129.74
1972	8	-	128.17
1972	9	-	128.70
1972	10	-	135.47
1972	11	-	138.60
1972	12	-	139.97
1973	1	-	135.32
1973	2	-	133.49
1973	3	-	131.31
1973	4	-	127.94
1973	5	-	125.39
1973	6	-	126.91
1973	7	-	124.84
1973	8	-	127.33
1973	9	-	132.72
1973	10	-	123.62
1973	11	-	115.21
1973	12	-	117.17
1974	1	-	114.27
1974	2	-	119.50
1974	3	-	113.74
1974	4	-	110.67
1974	5	-	111.17
1974	6	-	98.56
1974	7	-	94.85
1974	8	-	85.35
1974	9	-	87.38
1974	10	-	90.65
1974	11	-	85.13
1974	12	-	92.48
1975	1	-	102.47
1975	2	-	107.57
1975	3	-	109.17
1975	4	-	116.50
1975	5	-	119.87
1975	6	-	120.39
1975	7	-	111.96
1975	8	-	111.01
1975	9	-	116.53
1975	10	-	118.91
1975	11	-	117.50
1975	12	-	128.72
1976	1	-	134.10
1976	2	-	135.17
1976	3	-	136.65
1976	4	-	136.13
1976	5	-	137.36
1976	6	-	141.02
1976	7	-	140.23
1976	8	-	143.65
1976	9	-	139.18
1976	10	-	138.67
1976	11	-	143.92
1976	12	-	143.15
1977	1	-	139.76
1977	2	-	139.68
1977	3	-	138.01
1977	4	-	138.10
1977	5	-	139.35
1977	6	-	141.13
1977	7	-	138.20
1977	8	-	136.57
1977	9	-	133.57
1977	10	-	134.88
1977	11	-	134.78
1977	12	-	130.21
1978	1	-	128.94
1978	2	-	129.28
1978	3	-	135.53
1978	4	-	142.99
1978	5	-	143.95
1978	6	-	143.86
1978	7	-	154.40
1978	8	-	155.02
1978	9	-	150.72
1978	10	-	142.53
1978	11	-	145.27
1978	12	-	151.35
1979	1	-	149.75
1979	2	-	153.25
1979	3	-	156.98
1979	4	-	154.01
1979	5	-	157.73
1979	6	-	159.97
1979	7	-	167.99
1979	8	-	170.58
1979	9	-	164.86
1979	10	-	164.33
1979	11	-	171.57
1979	12	-	177.25
1980	1	-	185.04
1980	2	-	168.80
1980	3	-	166.84
1980	4	-	175.24
1980	5	-	187.26
1980	6	-	196.57
1980	7	-	203.46
1980	8	-	209.23
1980	9	-	216.19
1980	10	-	226.16
1980	11	-	223.35
1980	12	-	223.37
1981	1	-	216.51
1981	2	-	225.48
1981	3	-	228.40
1981	4	-	224.71
1981	5	-	226.63
1981	6	-	222.06
1981	7	-	223.85
1981	8	-	205.26
1981	9	-	208.81
1981	10	-	215.16
1981	11	-	217.70
1981	12	-	207.24
1982	1	-	203.27
1982	2	-	197.69
1982	3	-	208.51
1982	4	-	209.70
1982	5	-	198.64
1982	6	-	199.13
1982	7	-	200.71
1982	8	-	224.99
1982	9	-	244.97
1982	10	-	255.99
1982	11	-	259.46
1982	12	-	269.65
1983	1	-	275.39
1983	2	-	286.04
1983	3	-	298.04
1983	4	-	311.23
1983	5	-	316.69
1983	6	-	318.93
1983	7	-	311.25
1983	8	-	321.57
1983	9	-	323.65
1983	10	-	319.95
1983	11	-	319.54
1983	12	-	324.58
1984	1	-	307.99
1984	2	-	309.35
1984	3	-	310.92
1984	4	-	310.13
1984	5	-	304.40
1984	6	-	301.64
1984	7	-	329.41
1984	8	-	334.04
1984	9	-	332.66
1984	10	-	336.94
1984	11	-	334.56
1984	12	-	350.27
1985	1	-	370.54
1985	2	-	368.77
1985	3	-	372.55
1985	4	-	382.74
1985	5	-	392.35
1985	6	-	401.17
1985	7	-	393.77
1985	8	-	386.35
1985	9	-	392.12
1985	10	-	417.30
1985	11	-	439.39
1985	12	-	442.70
1986	1	-	467.92
1986	2	-	496.85
1986	3	-	510.47
1986	4	-	512.98
1986	5	-	529.05
1986	6	-	519.51
1986	7	-	531.36
1986	8	-	518.31
1986	9	-	517.84
1986	10	-	536.14
1986	11	-	545.30
1986	12	-	581.69
1987	1	-	619.28
1987	2	-	646.38
1987	3	-	640.84
1987	4	-	641.95
1987	5	-	670.83
1987	6	-	691.77
1987	7	-	736.42
1987	8	-	714.10
1987	9	-	629.45
1987	10	-	552.01
1987	11	-	544.64
1987	12	-	567.77
1988	1	-	586.67
1988	2	-	605.63
1988	3	-	600.26
1988	4	-	587.13
1988	5	-	622.35
1988	6	-	620.44
1988	7	-	609.77
1988	8	-	621.52
1988	9	-	645.15
1988	10	-	632.12
1988	11	-	646.82
1988	12	-	669.54
1989	1	-	691.64
1989	2	-	690.52
1989	3	-	715.13
1989	4	-	744.56
1989	5	-	769.82
1989	6	-	791.38
1989	7	-	828.50
1989	8	-	832.28
1989	9	-	834.66
1989	10	-	819.52
1989	11	-	841.95
1989	12	-	823.33
1990	1	-	802.53
1990	2	-	824.25
1990	3	-	825.87
1990	4	-	857.67
1990	5	-	884.86
1990	6	-	886.36
1990	7	-	816.68
1990	8	-	781.23
1990	9	-	763.14
1990	10	-	785.91
1990	11	-	821.95
1990	12	-	816.32
1991	1	-	911.07
1991	2	-	938.81
1991	3	-	960.02
1991	4	-	958.30
1991	5	-	961.62
1991	6	-	969.13
1991	7	-	995.09
1991	8	-	992.08
1991	9	-	993.88
1991	10	-	994.03
1991	11	-	1,003.33
1991	12	-	1,077.16
1992	1	-	1,070.68
1992	2	-	1,059.84
1992	3	-	1,062.64
1992	4	-	1,084.62
1992	5	-	1,070.21
1992	6	-	1,090.67
1992	7	-	1,100.94
1992	8	-	1,105.11
1992	9	-	1,092.04
1992	10	-	1,122.15
1992	11	-	1,158.86
1992	12	-	1,160.51
1993	1	-	1,180.52
1993	2	-	1,205.91
1993	3	-	1,189.73
1993	4	-	1,198.35
1993	5	-	1,208.72
1993	6	-	1,209.45
1993	7	-	1,230.77
1993	8	-	1,247.45
1993	9	-	1,262.94
1993	10	-	1,263.03
1993	11	-	1,274.24
1993	12	-	1,296.36
1994	1	-	1,295.38
1994	2	-	1,276.93
1994	3	-	1,234.20
1994	4	-	1,247.26
1994	5	-	1,261.08
1994	6	-	1,254.54
1994	7	-	1,293.21
1994	8	-	1,303.78
1994	9	-	1,297.99
1994	10	-	1,293.19
1994	11	-	1,279.92
1994	12	-	1,311.30
1995	1	-	1,361.38
1995	2	-	1,396.20
1995	3	-	1,441.10
1995	4	-	1,489.34
1995	5	-	1,536.68
1995	6	-	1,591.20
1995	7	-	1,599.36
1995	8	-	1,658.82
1995	9	-	1,673.96
1995	10	-	1,713.43
1995	11	-	1,771.51
1995	12	-	1,774.39
1996	1	-	1,879.15
1996	2	-	1,875.38
1996	3	-	1,879.08
1996	4	-	1,923.33
1996	5	-	1,947.92
1996	6	-	1,880.20
1996	7	-	1,938.03
1996	8	-	1,977.25
1996	9	-	2,058.70
1996	10	-	2,162.71
1996	11	-	2,188.62
1996	12	-	2,259.92
1997	1	-	2,358.47
1997	2	-	2,343.77
1997	3	-	2,263.95
1997	4	-	2,472.64
1997	5	-	2,604.60
1997	6	-	2,754.00
1997	7	-	2,763.58
1997	8	-	2,796.52
1997	9	-	2,842.53
1997	10	-	2,809.79
1997	11	-	2,883.81
1997	12	-	2,890.65
1998	1	-	3,075.71
1998	2	-	3,239.12
1998	3	-	3,349.44
1998	4	-	3,342.01
1998	5	-	3,345.90
1998	6	-	3,495.38
1998	7	-	3,251.72
1998	8	-	3,092.43
1998	9	-	3,132.35
1998	10	-	3,476.11
1998	11	-	3,618.77
1998	12	-	3,801.44
1999	1	-	3,798.90
1999	2	-	3,909.96
1999	3	-	4,076.14
1999	4	-	4,072.11
1999	5	-	4,047.20
1999	6	-	4,230.23
1999	7	-	4,070.56
1999	8	-	4,046.22
1999	9	-	3,994.73
1999	10	-	4,278.60
1999	11	-	4,398.77
1999	12	-	4,393.54
2000	1	-	4,284.66
2000	2	-	4,453.52
2000	3	-	4,516.97
2000	4	-	4,388.74
2000	5	-	4,527.58
2000	6	-	4,566.08
2000	7	-	4,608.99
2000	8	-	4,559.22
2000	9	-	4,321.50
2000	10	-	4,288.11
2000	11	-	4,145.74
2000	12	-	4,164.60
2001	1	-	4,075.64
2001	2	-	3,705.57
2001	3	-	3,722.20
2001	4	-	3,978.26
2001	5	-	3,883.24
2001	6	-	3,779.93
2001	7	-	3,702.60
2001	8	-	3,286.16
2001	9	-	3,390.79
2001	10	-	3,562.13
2001	11	-	3,614.35
2001	12	-	3,603.60
2002	1	-	3,482.78
2002	2	-	3,655.01
2002	3	-	3,526.56
2002	4	-	3,427.09
2002	5	-	3,224.18
2002	6	-	2,877.30
2002	7	-	2,910.07
2002	8	-	2,771.62
2002	9	-	2,733.73
2002	10	-	2,914.85
2002	11	-	2,884.68
2002	12	-	2,878.26
2003	1	-	2,693.63
2003	2	-	2,728.86
2003	3	-	2,873.10
2003	4	-	3,025.73
2003	5	-	3,198.32
2003	6	-	3,217.38
2003	7	-	3,212.03
2003	8	-	3,313.56
2003	9	-	3,380.76
2003	10	-	3,421.68
2003	11	-	3,526.52
2003	12	-	3,700.55
2004	1	-	3,740.76
2004	2	-	3,682.21
2004	3	-	3,717.86
2004	4	-	3,622.53
2004	5	-	3,726.05
2004	6	-	3,642.63
2004	7	-	3,592.08
2004	8	-	3,692.04
2004	9	-	3,695.83
2004	10	-	3,872.26
2004	11	-	3,977.88
2004	12	-	3,924.21
2005	1	-	3,990.18
2005	2	-	3,979.98
2005	3	-	3,884.11
2005	4	-	3,935.99
2005	5	-	4,021.83
2005	6	-	4,094.53
2005	7	-	4,107.23
2005	8	-	4,118.71
2005	9	-	4,010.63
2005	10	-	4,169.51
2005	11	-	4,258.91
2005	12	-	4,321.38
2006	1	-	4,320.66
2006	2	-	4,384.87
2006	3	-	4,419.88
2006	4	-	4,385.11
2006	5	-	4,266.46
2006	6	-	4,297.18
2006	7	-	4,395.66
2006	8	-	4,506.92
2006	9	-	4,669.89
2006	10	-	4,763.36
2006	11	-	4,865.69
2006	12	-	4,899.40
2007	1	-	4,977.60
2007	2	-	4,854.46
2007	3	-	5,057.39
2007	4	-	5,228.92
2007	5	-	5,246.96
2007	6	-	5,277.11
2007	7	-	5,055.41
2007	8	-	5,210.85
2007	9	-	5,366.74
2007	10	-	5,108.80
2007	11	-	5,172.05
2007	12	-	4,828.88
2008	1	-	4,753.36
2008	2	-	4,628.50
2008	3	-	4,824.93
2008	4	-	4,948.57
2008	5	-	4,738.43
2008	6	-	4,450.40
2008	7	-	4,544.33
2008	8	-	4,324.04
2008	9	-	3,450.86
2008	10	-	3,153.90
2008	11	-	3,142.83
2008	12	-	3,108.40
2009	1	-	2,900.06
2009	2	-	2,735.12
2009	3	-	3,072.13
2009	4	-	3,276.73
2009	5	-	3,370.73
2009	6	-	3,413.80
2009	7	-	3,691.03
2009	8	-	3,825.76
2009	9	-	3,917.70
2009	10	-	3,999.75
2009	11	-	4,088.78
2009	12	-	4,144.26
2010	1	-	4,024.14
2010	2	-	4,263.30
2010	3	-	4,437.58
2010	4	-	4,176.54
2010	5	-	4,028.54
2010	6	-	4,022.13
2010	7	-	4,056.87
2010	8	-	4,193.63
2010	9	-	4,385.59
2010	10	-	4,494.83
2010	11	-	4,661.76
2010	12	-	4,823.16
2011	1	-	4,975.13
2011	2	-	4,919.78
2011	3	-	5,029.05
2011	4	-	5,062.21
2011	5	-	4,876.80
2011	6	-	5,028.06
2011	7	-	4,505.11
2011	8	-	4,469.55
2011	9	-	4,604.49
2011	10	-	4,685.85
2011	11	-	4,758.71
2011	12	-	4,986.29
2012	1	-	5,193.85
2012	2	-	5,343.64
2012	3	-	5,341.60
2012	4	-	5,176.49
2012	5	-	5,116.83
2012	6	-	5,266.30
2012	7	-	5,444.71
2012	8	-	5,609.20
2012	9	-	5,597.02
2012	10	-	5,438.21
2012	11	-	5,556.52
2012	12	-	5,793.71
2013	1	-	5,928.88
2013	2	-	6,090.29
2013	3	-	6,178.83
2013	4	-	6,461.47
2013	5	-	6,389.24
2013	6	-	6,597.18
2013	7	-	6,613.84
2013	8	-	6,692.71
2013	9	-	6,834.43
2013	10	-	7,098.24
2013	11	-	7,206.25
2013	12	-	7,275.99
2014	1	-	7,266.53
2014	2	-	7,464.34
2014	3	-	7,479.40
2014	4	-	7,593.99
2014	5	-	7,836.72
2014	6	-	7,953.94
2014	7	-	7,919.98
2014	8	-	8,060.80
2014	9	-	7,847.46
2014	10	-	8,295.21
2014	11	-	8,347.80
2014	12	-	8,255.13
2015	1	-	8,488.54
2015	2	-	8,493.24
2015	3	-	8,567.84
2015	4	-	8,651.71
2015	5	-	8,614.04
2015	6	-	8,607.18
2015	7	-	8,398.50
2015	8	-	8,019.97
2015	9	-	8,366.21
2015	10	-	8,611.54
2015	11	-	8,516.56
2015	12	-	7,969.83
2016	1	-	7,926.00
2016	2	-	8,430.31
2016	3	-	8,669.00
2016	4	-	8,642.61
2016	5	-	8,734.78
2016	6	-	9,022.81
2016	7	-	9,131.01
2016	8	-	9,090.96
2016	9	-	9,044.96
2016	10	-	9,153.61
2016	11	-	9,514.80
2016	12	-	9,651.59
2017	1	-	9,900.26
2017	2	-	10,073.44
2017	3	-	10,057.93
2017	4	-	10,228.14
2017	5	-	10,409.84
2017	6	-	10,512.68
2017	7	-	10,538.73
2017	8	-	10,712.96
2017	9	-	11,005.94
2017	10	-	11,180.89
2017	11	-	11,503.29
2017	12	-	12,062.56
2018	1	-	11,714.36
2018	2	-	11,721.92
2018	3	-	11,526.87
2018	4	-	11,752.98
2018	5	-	12,001.32
2018	6	-	12,191.03
2018	7	-	12,489.81
2018	8	-	12,699.61
2018	9	-	12,210.80
2018	10	-	11,957.29
2018	11	-	11,292.17
2018	12	-	11,488.16
2019	1	-	12,157.79
2019	2	-	12,394.63
2019	3	-	12,856.11
2019	4	-	12,659.18
2019	5	-	12,837.01
2019	6	-	13,328.32
2019	7	-	12,910.56
2019	8	-	13,308.88
2019	9	-	13,310.18
2019	10	-	13,900.32
2019	11	-	14,243.56
2019	12	-	14,720.21
2020	1	-	14,738.18
2020	2	-	11,950.05
2020	3	-	12,466.13
2020	4	-	13,200.05
2020	5	-	14,059.15
2020	6	-	14,547.91
2020	7	-	15,405.29
2020	8	-	15,308.70
2020	9	-	15,572.92
2020	10	-	16,188.70
2020	11	-	16,878.35
2020	12	-	17,350.15
2021	1	-	17,782.43
2021	2	-	17,928.49
2021	3	-	19,008.05
2021	4	-	19,152.56
2021	5	-	19,499.30
2021	6	-	20,097.58
2021	7	-	20,536.74
2021	8	-	20,519.39
2021	9	-	20,612.17
2021	10	-	21,590.17
2021	11	-	21,647.47
2021	12	-	21,203.27
2022	1	-	20,587.83
2022	2	-	20,404.07
2022	3	-	20,428.21
2022	4	-	18,819.95
2022	5	-	18,185.83
2022	6	-	18,270.34
2022	7	-	19,448.30
2022	8	-	18,032.97
2022	9	-	17,475.54
2022	10	-	18,399.14
2022	11	-	18,401.13
2022	12	-	18,654.41
2023	1	-	19,241.46
2023	2	-	18,743.99
2023	3	-	19,493.04
2023	4	-	19,636.84
2023	5	-	20,607.33
2023	6	-	21,406.08
2023	7	-	21,192.52
2023	8	-	20,990.43
2023	9	-	20,352.89
2023	10	-	21,289.47
2023	11	-	22,391.26
2023	12	-	23,043.25
2024	1	-	24,010.90
2024	2	-	24,798.97
2024	3	-	24,548.72
2024	4	-	25,166.54
2024	5	-	26,511.34

Click to show 642 more rows

The information on this page is derived from Robert Shiller's book, Irrational Exuberance and the accompanying dataset, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly CPI logs.

Note that S&P index value for the current quarter is based on a moving average of closing prices, per Robert Shiller's methodology. The inflation data used is based on annual CPI averages.

FAQs

What is the average return of the S&P 500 over the last 70 years? ›

Stock market returns since 1970

This is a return on investment of 27,269.78%, or 10.86% per year. This lump-sum investment beats inflation during this period for an inflation-adjusted return of about 3,276.19% cumulatively, or 6.68% per year.

Read On ›

What if I invested $1000 in S&P 500 10 years ago? ›

So imagine you put $1,000 into either fund 10 years ago. You'd be up to roughly $3,282 with VOO or $3,302 from SPY. That's not exactly wealthy, but it shows how you can more than triple your money by holding an asset with relatively low long-term risk.

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What is the average S&P 500 return over 50 years? ›

Average Stock Market Returns Per Year

Years Averaged (as of end of July 2024)	Stock Market Average Return per Year (Dividends Reinvested)	Average Return with Dividends Reinvested & Inflation Adjusted
50 Years	11.866%	7.803%
30 Years	10.733%	7.998%
20 Years	10.473%	7.712%
10 Years	12.864%	9.783%

3 more rows

5 days ago

What is the average 10 year return of the S&P 500? ›

Average returns

Period	Average annualised return	Total return
Last year	24.3%	24.3%
Last 5 years	15.7%	107.1%
Last 10 years	15.6%	325.1%
Last 20 years	11.1%	725.5%

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What is the average return of the S&P index over 40 years? ›

Using Shiller's data, since 1971 the S&P 500 has delivered an annualized return of 7.58%—or 10.51% with dividends reinvested. Investors who keep their money at work in the S&P 500 have been able to enjoy an annualized stock market return of around 10% over the long haul.

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What is the 20 year average return on the S&P 500? ›

Looking at the S&P 500 from 2003 to mid-2023 the picture changes. The average stock market return for the last 20 years was 9.75% (7.03% when adjusted for inflation), which is lower than the average 10% return.

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How much would $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1980 be worth today? ›

Craziest thing I learned recently: $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 1980 would be worth over $1M today.

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Does the S&P 500 double every 10 years? ›

We saw in the previous section that investing in the S&P 500 has historically allowed investors to double their money about every six or seven years. Your initial $1,000 investment will grow to $2,000 by year 7, $4,000 by year 14, and $6,000 by year 18.

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What if I invested $1000 in Coca-Cola 10 years ago? ›

You would have more than doubled your money, with a total investment worth of $2,029.55. That's a 103% return, or a 7.23% annual rate of return.

What is the average return of the S&P 500 without dividends? ›

S&P 500 Annual Return is at 24.23%, compared to -19.44% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 7.93%. The S&P 500 Annual Return is the investment return received each year, excluding dividends, when holding the S&P 500 index.

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What is the highest the S&P 500 has ever been? ›

Milestone highs

August 18, 2020: The S&P 500 index closed at a record high of 3389.78 amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
April 1, 2021: The S&P 500 index reaches 4,000 points, closing at 4,019.87.
February 9, 2024: The S&P 500 index reaches 5,000 points, closing at 5,026.61.

More items...

Read The Full Story ›

How to get 10% return on investment? ›

Investments That Can Potentially Return 10% or More

Growth Stocks. Growth stocks represent companies expected to grow at an above-average rate compared to other companies. ...
Real Estate. ...
Junk Bonds. ...
Index Funds and ETFs. ...
Options Trading. ...
Private Credit.

Jun 12, 2024

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What is the S&P annual return since 1970? ›

From January 1, 1970 to December 31^st 2023, the average annual compounded rate of return for the S&P 500®, including reinvestment of dividends, was approximately 10.9% (source: www.spglobal.com). Since 1970, the highest 12-month return was 61% (June 1982 through June 1983).

Get More Info Here ›

How much will the S&P 500 grow in the next 10 years? ›

Returns in the S&P 500 over the coming decade are more likely to be in the 3%-6% range, as multiples and margins are unlikely to expand, leaving sales growth, buybacks, and dividends as the main drivers of appreciation.

What is the S&P 50 10 year return? ›

Basic Info. S&P 500 10 Year Return is at 181.9%, compared to 186.0% last month and 176.0% last year. This is higher than the long term average of 115.5%.

What is the average rate of return over the lifetime of the S&P 500 since 1957? ›

Bottom Line. Since 1957, the S&P 500's average annual rate of return has been approximately 10.5% (through March 2023) and around 6.6% after adjusting for inflation.

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What was the return of the S&P 500 in the 1970s? ›

The nadir came in the 1970s, when yearly inflation averaged 7.4% while the S&P's average price return was 1.6% and its average total return was 5.8%.

What is the Dow Jones average return last 50 years? ›

The stock market has returned an average of 10% per year over the past 50 years.

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How long did it take for the S&P 500 to recover from 2008? ›

By March 2013, the S&P 500 had fully recovered its Great Recession losses and made its first new all-time high since 2007. Opportunistic investors made a killing during the 2008 and 2009 stock market crash.

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