What was Amazon's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2012?

Amazon's CAGR from 2012 to September 2026 was 25.2% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Amazon significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Amazon compare to the S&P 500 since 2012?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2012 would be worth approximately $7,971.77 today. Amazon outperformed the index by $19,638.29 — 3.46x the return of the S&P 500.

How much of the Amazon gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $26,610.06 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $23,618.55. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $21,276.86, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Amazon since 2012?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2012, the real purchasing-power value of the Amazon position is approximately $19,445.61 in 2012 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.

How did Amazon perform in 2012?

Amazon rose 44% during 2012, from $8.95 at the start of the year to $12.87 at the start of 2013.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Amazon in 2012?

Q: Did Amazon pay dividends?

No. Amazon paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$27,610

+$26,610 profit27.6x25.2% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $7,972

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$23,619

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$27,610.06

Total Profit

$26,610.06

Multiplier

27.6x

CAGR

25.2%

Max Drawdown

-52.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$19,445.61

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2012 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Amazon	$27,610.06	27.6x
S&P 500	$7,971.77	7.97x
Gold	$2,682.76	2.68x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,339.10	1.34x

Dividends

Amazon paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2012

In March 2012, Amazon agreed to buy Kiva Systems, maker of robots that carry items across warehouse floors to the workers who pack orders, for about $775 million. techcrunch.com
In 2012, a gallon of gas averaged $3.62, a movie ticket averaged $7.96 and the new iPhone 5 started at $199 with a two-year contract. eia.gov techcrunch.com deadline.com
During 2012 itself, Amazon rose 44%, #11 of the 74 investments we track. The best was Bitcoin (+152%); the worst was AMD (−54%). Full 2012 results →

$1,000 in Amazon, year by year

Of the 74 investments we track that were available at the start of 2012, Amazon ranks #11 by growth to today — just behind Eli Lilly and ahead of Apple. See the full 2012 ranking →

Amazon started 2012 2.8% below its start-of-2011 high, after falling 2.8% in 2011. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $27,610 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 12 of the 14 full years since. It moved ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2016 and has stayed ahead since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Nov 2021 ($19,602) to Dec 2022 ($9,390), a drop of 52%.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2012	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2013	$1,438	+44%	$1,160
Start of 2014	$2,223	+55%	$1,536
Start of 2015	$1,724	−22%	$1,746
Start of 2016	$3,559	+106%	$1,770
Start of 2017	$4,210	+18%	$1,982
Start of 2018	$6,642	+58%	$2,414
Start of 2019	$8,599	+29%	$2,309
Start of 2020	$10,603	+23%	$3,036
Start of 2021	$17,802	+68%	$3,594
Start of 2022	$19,040	+7.0%	$4,626
Start of 2023	$9,589	−50%	$3,788
Start of 2024	$16,752	+75%	$4,784
Start of 2025	$24,606	+47%	$5,981
Start of 2026	$25,307	+2.9%	$7,050
Today	$27,610	+9.1%	$7,972

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2012, Amazon was priced at $8.95 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 112 shares. Amazon runs the world's largest online store and Amazon Web Services (AWS), its cloud-computing business.

Measured from one January to the next, Amazon's best year since then was 2015 (+106%) and its worst was 2022 (−50%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2022 and the start of 2023, the position fell 50% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Amazon at the start of 2012 would be worth approximately $27,610.06 today — a 27.6x return ($26,610.06 profit) over 14.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2012 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2012 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.