What was Amazon's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2022?

Amazon's CAGR from 2022 to September 2026 was 8.1% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. However, this came with substantially higher volatility and drawdown risk.

How does Amazon compare to the S&P 500 since 2022?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2022 would be worth approximately $1,723.35 today. Amazon underperformed the S&P 500 by $273.26.

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

Sold today, the $450.09 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,382.58. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,342.97, 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 2022?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2022, the real purchasing-power value of the Amazon position is approximately $1,301.97 in 2022 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Amazon perform in 2022?

Amazon fell 50% during 2022, from $170.41 at the start of the year to $85.82 at the start of 2023.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Amazon in 2022?

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

$1,450

+$450.09 profit1.45x8.1% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $1,723

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,383

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

$1,450.09

Total Profit

$450.09

Multiplier

1.45x

CAGR

8.1%

Max Drawdown

-50.7%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,301.97

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2022 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Amazon	$1,450.09	1.45x
S&P 500	$1,723.35	1.72x
Gold	$2,296.99	2.30x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,098.50	1.10x

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 2022

In September 2022, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power drew more than 25 million viewers worldwide on its first day, Prime Video's biggest premiere ever. press.aboutamazon.com
In 2022, a gallon of gas averaged $3.95, a movie ticket averaged $10.53 and the new iPhone 14 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com indiewire.com
During 2022 itself, Amazon fell 50%, #72 of the 112 investments we track. The best was Super Micro Computer (+84%); the worst was Solana (−94%). Full 2022 results →

$1,000 in Amazon, year by year

Of the 112 investments we track that were available at the start of 2022, Amazon ranks #55 by growth to today — just behind BNB and ahead of Schwab Dividend ETF (SCHD). See the full 2022 ranking →

Amazon started 2022 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 7% in 2021. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2023 and 2024, and has been above it since the start of 2025. Today's $1,450 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 3 of the 4 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Jan 2022 ($1,000) to Dec 2022 ($493.17), a drop of 51%. At its lowest month-end, in Dec 2022, it was worth $493.17.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2022	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2023	$504	−50%	$819
Start of 2024	$880	+75%	$1,034
Start of 2025	$1,292	+47%	$1,293
Start of 2026	$1,329	+2.9%	$1,524
Today	$1,450	+9.1%	$1,723

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 2022, Amazon was priced at $170.41 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 5.87 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 2023 (+75%) 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 2022 would be worth approximately $1,450.09 today — a 1.45x return ($450.09 profit) over 4.7 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 2022 (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 of2022 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.