What was McDonald's's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2018?

McDonald's's CAGR from 2018 to September 2026 was 6.0% 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 McDonald's compare to the S&P 500 since 2018?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2018 would be worth approximately $3,301.62 today. McDonald's underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,640.22.

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

Sold today, the $661.40 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,562.19. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,503.99, 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 2018?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2018, the real purchasing-power value of the McDonald's position is approximately $1,279.69 in 2018 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did McDonald's perform in 2018?

McDonald's rose 4.2% during 2018, from $140.82 at the start of the year to $146.75 at the start of 2019.

What If You Invested $1,000 in McDonald's in 2018?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$1,661

+$661.40 profit1.66x6.0% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,302

Its shares paid about $52.83 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,562

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

$1,661.40

Total Profit

$661.40

Multiplier

1.66x

CAGR

6.0%

Max Drawdown

-30.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,279.69

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2018 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
McDonald's	$1,661.40	1.66x
S&P 500	$3,301.62	3.30x
Gold	$3,224.25	3.22x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,189.05	1.19x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 7.10 shares you'd own now paid about $52.83 in dividends (about $4.40 a month). That's 5.3% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $1,351; reinvested dividends added the other $310.85, 47% of the gain.

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

Back in 2018

In March 2018, McDonald's began switching Quarter Pounders from frozen to fresh beef, starting at 3,500 U.S. restaurants with about 14,000 planned by May. fortune.com
In 2018, a gallon of gas averaged $2.72, a movie ticket averaged $9.11 and the new iPhone XS started at $999. eia.gov apple.com hollywoodreporter.com
During 2018 itself, McDonald's rose 4.2%, #30 of the 94 investments we track. The best was The Trade Desk (+150%); the worst was Cardano (−94%). Full 2018 results →

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

Of the 94 investments we track that were available at the start of 2018, McDonald's ranks #75 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Wells Fargo and ahead of Ford. See the full 2018 ranking →

McDonald's started 2018 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 49% in 2017. 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 $2,112. Today it's 21% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 8 of the 8 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2024 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Feb 2026 ($2,376) to today ($1,661), a drop of 30%. At its lowest month-end, in Mar 2018, it was worth $908.83.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2018	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2019	$1,042	+4.2%	$956
Start of 2020	$1,217	+17%	$1,257
Start of 2021	$1,306	+7.3%	$1,489
Start of 2022	$1,707	+31%	$1,916
Start of 2023	$1,718	+0.6%	$1,569
Start of 2024	$1,974	+15%	$1,981
Start of 2025	$1,991	+0.9%	$2,477
Start of 2026	$2,112	+6.1%	$2,920
Today	$1,661	−21%	$3,302

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 2018, McDonald's was priced at $140.82 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 7.10 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 2021 (+31%) and its weakest was 2022 (+0.6%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in McDonald's at the start of 2018 would be worth approximately $1,661.40 today — a 1.66x return ($661.40 profit) over 8.7 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 2018 (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 of2018 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.