What was McDonald's's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2015?

McDonald's's CAGR from 2015 to September 2026 was 10.9% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. McDonald's significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does McDonald's compare to the S&P 500 since 2015?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2015 would be worth approximately $4,565.82 today. McDonald's underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,190.27.

How much of the McDonald's gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $2,375.54 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $3,019.21. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,810.17, 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 McDonald's since 2015?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2015, the real purchasing-power value of the McDonald's position is approximately $2,454.00 in 2015 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did McDonald's perform in 2015?

McDonald's rose 30% during 2015, from $69.31 at the start of the year to $90.40 at the start of 2016.

What If You Invested $1,000 in McDonald's in 2015?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$3,376

+$2,376 profit3.38x10.9% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,566

Its shares paid about $107.34 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$3,019

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

$3,375.54

Total Profit

$2,375.54

Multiplier

3.38x

CAGR

10.9%

Max Drawdown

-30.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$2,454.00

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2015 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
McDonald's	$3,375.54	3.38x
S&P 500	$4,565.82	4.57x
Gold	$3,548.31	3.55x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,261.85	1.26x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 14.43 shares you'd own now paid about $107.34 in dividends (about $8.95 a month). That's 11% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $2,509; reinvested dividends added the other $866.84, 36% of the gain.

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

Back in 2015

In October 2015, McDonald's began serving breakfast all day at its U.S. restaurants, after announcing the change the month before. fortune.com
In 2015, a gallon of gas averaged $2.43, a movie ticket averaged $8.43 and the new iPhone 6s started at $649 without a contract. eia.gov fonearena.com thewrap.com
During 2015 itself, McDonald's rose 30%, #11 of the 82 investments we track. The best was Netflix (+121%); the worst was Chipotle (−34%). Full 2015 results →

$1,000 in McDonald's, year by year

Of the 82 investments we track that were available at the start of 2015, McDonald's ranks #54 by growth to today — just behind Lowe's and ahead of Berkshire Hathaway. See the full 2015 ranking →

McDonald's started 2015 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after a roughly flat 2014. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2026, at $4,291. Today it's 21% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 11 of the 11 full years since. It was ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2026 but has fallen behind it since. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Feb 2026 ($4,828) to today ($3,376), a drop of 30%.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2015	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2016	$1,304	+30%	$1,014
Start of 2017	$1,368	+4.9%	$1,135
Start of 2018	$2,032	+49%	$1,383
Start of 2019	$2,117	+4.2%	$1,322
Start of 2020	$2,473	+17%	$1,739
Start of 2021	$2,654	+7.3%	$2,058
Start of 2022	$3,468	+31%	$2,649
Start of 2023	$3,490	+0.6%	$2,170
Start of 2024	$4,010	+15%	$2,740
Start of 2025	$4,045	+0.9%	$3,425
Start of 2026	$4,291	+6.1%	$4,038
Today	$3,376	−21%	$4,566

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 2015, McDonald's was priced at $69.31 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 14.43 shares. McDonald's is the world's largest fast-food chain by revenue.

Measured from one January to the next, McDonald's's best year since then was 2017 (+49%) and its weakest was 2022 (+0.6%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in McDonald's at the start of 2015 would be worth approximately $3,375.54 today — a 3.38x return ($2,375.54 profit) over 11.7 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 2015 (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 of2015 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.