S&P 500 historical return calculator
How much would you have today if you had invested in the S&P 500 years ago? Pick a period and check it against the index's actual returns, month by month, including its falls.
Value at the end of the period
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Total contributed
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Gain
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Index annual return
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Largest index fall
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How your investment grew
See year by year
| Year | Index return | Contributed | Value |
|---|
How it is calculated
- Each month's return = index level at month end ÷ previous month's level − 1.
- The initial investment is made at the close of the month before “From”. Contribution at month end: value = previous value × (1 + return) + contribution; at the start: (previous value + contribution) × (1 + return).
- Index annual return = (ending level ÷ starting level) ^ (12 ÷ months) − 1. Largest fall = biggest drop from a previous high within the period.
Assumptions
- Actual monthly index data: no months are filled in and no returns are estimated.
- Index in US dollars; no fees, taxes or inflation.
- The series with and without dividends and the Shiller series are different and are not mixed.
Sources
- S&P 500 Total Return (^SP500TR) and S&P 500 (^GSPC): S&P Dow Jones Indices, via Yahoo Finance. Retrieved on 3 November 2026.
- 1871–1987: Robert J. Shiller, US stock market data (ie_data.xls). Retrieved on 3 November 2026.