What If You Invested $1,000 in Apple in 2005?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$361,684

+$360,684 profit362x31.1% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $9,629

Its shares paid about $1,116 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$307,582

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

$361,684.21

Total Profit

$360,684.21

Multiplier

362x

CAGR

31.1%

Max Drawdown

-56.9%

Inflation-Adjusted

$216,677.69

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2005 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Apple	$361,684.21	362x
S&P 500	$9,628.73	9.63x
Gold	$9,432.41	9.43x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,539.39	1.54x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 1,053 shares you'd own now paid about $1,116 in dividends (about $92.98 a month). That's 112% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $302,911; reinvested dividends added the other $58,774, 16% of the gain.

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

Back in 2005

In June 2005, Apple announced it would move its Mac computers from PowerPC chips to Intel processors, aiming to switch every Mac by the end of 2007. apple.com
In 2005, a gallon of gas averaged $2.27 and a movie ticket averaged $6.41. eia.gov variety.com
During 2005 itself, Apple rose 136%, the best of the 60 investments we track. The worst was Ford (−45%). Full 2005 results →

$1,000 in Apple, year by year

Of the 60 investments we track that were available at the start of 2005, Apple ranks #3 by growth to today, near the top — just behind Netflix and ahead of Booking Holdings. See the full 2005 ranking →

It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $361,684 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 17 of the 21 full years since. It has been ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still is. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Dec 2007 ($6,212) to Dec 2008 ($2,676), a drop of 57%.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2005	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2006	$2,358	+136%	$1,049
Start of 2007	$2,642	+12%	$1,215
Start of 2008	$6,147	+133%	$1,282
Start of 2009	$2,863	−53%	$807
Start of 2010	$6,758	+136%	$1,021
Start of 2011	$10,400	+54%	$1,175
Start of 2012	$12,979	+25%	$1,200
Start of 2013	$17,484	+35%	$1,392
Start of 2014	$18,063	+3.3%	$1,842
Start of 2015	$25,516	+41%	$2,095
Start of 2016	$25,000	−2.0%	$2,124
Start of 2017	$28,179	+13%	$2,378
Start of 2018	$42,463	+51%	$2,897
Start of 2019	$39,516	−6.9%	$2,770
Start of 2020	$76,284	+93%	$3,642
Start of 2021	$132,611	+74%	$4,312
Start of 2022	$187,653	+42%	$5,550
Start of 2023	$129,695	−31%	$4,544
Start of 2024	$193,579	+49%	$5,739
Start of 2025	$255,526	+32%	$7,175
Start of 2026	$284,495	+11%	$8,458
Today	$361,684	+27%	$9,629

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

In January 2005, Apple was a comeback story that hadn't fully played out yet. The iPod was a hit, but Apple was still primarily a computer company with less than 3% PC market share. The stock was trading at a split-adjusted price of roughly $0.95. The iPhone was two years away, the iPad five, and no one imagined Apple becoming the world's most valuable company.

A $1,000 investment at $0.95 would have purchased approximately 1,053 shares (split-adjusted for all subsequent splits). Over the next 20 years, Apple would launch the iPhone (2007), iPad (2010), Apple Watch (2015), and build a services empire generating over $80 billion annually.

Apple's stock has been remarkably consistent compared to other tech giants. It survived the 2008 financial crisis, Steve Jobs' passing in 2011, and multiple product cycle concerns. The transition to a services-driven recurring revenue model transformed Apple from a hardware company into something closer to an annuity — with the largest installed base of premium consumers in history.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much would $1,000 in Apple in 2005 be worth today?

A $1,000 investment in Apple at the start of 2005 would be worth approximately $361,684.21 today — a 362x return ($360,684.21 profit) over 21.8 years.

What was Apple's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2005?

Apple's CAGR from 2005 to October 2026 was 31.1% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Apple significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does Apple compare to the S&P 500 since 2005?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2005 would be worth approximately $9,628.73 today. Apple outperformed the index by $352,055.48 — 37.6x the return of the S&P 500.

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

Sold today, the $360,684.21 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $307,581.58. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $275,841.37, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

How much would the Apple shares pay in dividends?

Over the last 12 months, the 1,053 shares you'd own now paid about $1,116 in dividends (about $92.98 a month). That's 112% of the $1,000 put in. Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $302,911; reinvested dividends added the other $58,774, 16% of the gain.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Apple since 2005?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2005, the real purchasing-power value of the Apple position is approximately $216,677.69 in 2005 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.

What was Apple's stock price before the iPhone?

Apple's split-adjusted stock price was approximately $0.95 in January 2005 and around $2.51 in January 2007 when the iPhone was announced. The iPhone launch in June 2007 began Apple's transformation into the world's most valuable company.

How many times has Apple stock split?

Apple has split its stock five times: 2-for-1 in 1987, 2000, and 2005, 7-for-1 in 2014, and 4-for-1 in 2020. All historical prices in this analysis are split-adjusted to reflect current share count.

What was Apple's worst drawdown since 2005?

Apple's worst drawdown was during the 2008 financial crisis when the stock fell approximately 60% from its 2007 highs. It also experienced significant drawdowns in 2012-2013 (~44%) and 2022 (~31%). Each decline was followed by recovery to new highs.

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 2005 (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 of2005 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.