Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$2,635,054
+$2,634,054 profit2635x107.6% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,534
Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,239,946
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.
Growth Over Time
Performance Metrics
Total Invested
$1,000.00
Current Value
$2,635,053.76
Total Profit
$2,634,053.76
Multiplier
2635x
CAGR
107.6%
Max Drawdown
-90.4%
Inflation-Adjusted
$1,939,916.88
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2016 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | $2,635,053.76 | 2635x |
| S&P 500 | $4,534.06 | 4.53x |
| Gold | $3,863.56 | 3.86x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,238.13 | 1.24x |
Back in 2016
- In June 2016, an attacker drained about 3.6 million ether from The DAO, a crowdfunded investment project built on Ethereum, by exploiting a flaw in its code. coindesk.com
- In 2016, a gallon of gas averaged $2.14, a movie ticket averaged $8.65 and the new iPhone 7 started at $649. eia.govapple.comdeadline.com
- During 2016 itself, Ethereum rose 778%, the best of the 85 investments we track. The worst was Palo Alto Networks (−26%). Full 2016 results →
$1,000 in Ethereum, year by year
Of the 85 investments we track that were available at the start of 2016, Ethereum ranks #1 by growth to today, the best of them — ahead of Dogecoin. See the full 2016 ranking →
It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2022, at $3,960,215. Today it's 33% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 6 of the 10 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 Jan 2018 ($1,177,018) to Jan 2019 ($112,681), a drop of 90%.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2016 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2017 | $8,785 | +778% | $1,120 |
| Start of 2018 | $800,000 | +9,006% | $1,364 |
| Start of 2019 | $139,785 | −83% | $1,304 |
| Start of 2020 | $138,172 | −1.2% | $1,715 |
| Start of 2021 | $792,473 | +474% | $2,030 |
| Start of 2022 | $3,960,215 | +400% | $2,613 |
| Start of 2023 | $1,286,022 | −68% | $2,140 |
| Start of 2024 | $2,454,839 | +91% | $2,702 |
| Start of 2025 | $3,602,151 | +47% | $3,379 |
| Start of 2026 | $3,190,323 | −11% | $3,983 |
| Today | $2,635,054 | −17% | $4,534 |
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
Ethereum launched in July 2015, but by January 2016 it was still trading under $1. The concept of a "world computer" that could run smart contracts seemed wildly ambitious — if not impossible. Vitalik Buterin was a 21-year-old with a whitepaper, and the network had yet to prove it could handle any significant workload.
A $1,000 investment at ~$0.93 per ETH would have purchased roughly 1,075 ETH. Through 2016 and 2017, Ethereum became the backbone of the ICO boom, with hundreds of projects launching tokens on its network. ETH surged to over $1,400 by January 2018 before crashing 94% in the subsequent bear market.
Since then, Ethereum has evolved through multiple upgrades, including the Merge to proof-of-stake in September 2022. It now hosts the majority of DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, and Layer 2 scaling solutions. The network processes billions in daily transaction value.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much would $1,000 in Ethereum in 2016 be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Ethereum at the start of 2016 would be worth approximately $2,635,053.76 today — a 2635x return ($2,634,053.76 profit) over 10.8 years.
What was Ethereum's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2016?
Ethereum's CAGR from 2016 to October 2026 was 107.6% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Ethereum significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.
How does Ethereum compare to the S&P 500 since 2016?
The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2016 would be worth approximately $4,534.06 today. Ethereum outperformed the index by $2,630,519.70 — 581x the return of the S&P 500.
How much of the Ethereum gain would you keep after taxes?
Sold today, the $2,634,053.76 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $2,239,945.70. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,008,148.97, 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 Ethereum since 2016?
Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2016, the real purchasing-power value of the Ethereum position is approximately $1,939,916.88 in 2016 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.
What was Ethereum's worst crash since 2016?
Ethereum's worst drawdown was approximately 94% — from ~$1,400 in January 2018 to ~$85 in December 2018. This was more severe than Bitcoin's drawdown during the same period. ETH also dropped from ~$4,800 in November 2021 to ~$900 in June 2022.
How does Ethereum compare to Bitcoin as an investment since 2016?
Since 2016, Ethereum has significantly outperformed Bitcoin in percentage terms, though both delivered extraordinary returns. Ethereum's starting price of under $1 gave it more room for explosive growth, but it also experienced larger drawdowns.
Is Ethereum a good investment today?
Ethereum's risk/reward profile today is fundamentally different from 2016. It's now a proven platform but faces competition from Solana and other chains. Past returns should not be extrapolated. Do your own research and invest within your risk tolerance.
Methodology & Sources
Price data: Historical prices are the January 1 opening price (midnight UTC) on major US exchanges (Coinbase, Kraken, Bitstamp), or CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap where a coin wasn’t yet trading on US exchanges. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance (CoinGecko as a backup) and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.
Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2016 (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 of2016 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.
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$1,000 in Ethereum, by year
$1,000 in Ethereum:1 year ago5 years ago