Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$967.29
−$32.71 loss0.97x-0.9% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,104
Its shares paid about $30.76 in dividends over the last 12 months.
No tax on a loss. Selling can offset tax on other gains.
Growth Over Time
Performance Metrics
Total Invested
$1,000.00
Current Value
$967.29
Total Loss
−$32.71
Multiplier
0.97x
CAGR
-0.9%
Max Drawdown
-30.1%
Inflation-Adjusted
$904.09
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2023 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| McDonald's | $967.29 | 0.97x |
| S&P 500 | $2,104.49 | 2.10x |
| Gold | $2,303.29 | 2.30x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,076.98 | 1.08x |
Dividends
Over the last 12 months, the 4.13 shares you'd own now paid about $30.76 in dividends (about $2.56 a month). That's 3.1% of the $1,000 put in.
Without reinvesting dividends, it would be worth $885.07 instead of $967.29.
Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.
Back in 2023
- In December 2023, McDonald's unveiled CosMc's, a drinks-focused spinoff named after a 1980s alien character, planning 10 test locations near Chicago and in Texas. fortune.com
- In 2023, a gallon of gas averaged $3.52 and the new iPhone 15 Pro started at $999. eia.govapple.com
- During 2023 itself, McDonald's rose 15%, #81 of the 113 investments we track. The best was Solana (+913%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−84%). Full 2023 results →
$1,000 in McDonald's, year by year
Of the 113 investments we track that were available at the start of 2023, McDonald's ranks #95 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Cardano and ahead of Litecoin. See the full 2023 ranking →
McDonald's started 2023 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after a roughly flat 2022. It's worth less than the $1,000 put in today; the last January it was above that was 2026. Its best January was 2026, at $1,230. Today it's 21% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 3 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 Feb 2026 ($1,384) to today ($967.29), a drop of 30%. At its lowest month-end, in Jun 2024, it was worth $998.35.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2023 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2024 | $1,149 | +15% | $1,263 |
| Start of 2025 | $1,159 | +0.9% | $1,579 |
| Start of 2026 | $1,230 | +6.1% | $1,861 |
| Today | $967 | −21% | $2,104 |
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 2023, McDonald's was priced at $241.87 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 4.13 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 2023 (+15%) and its weakest was 2024 (+0.9%).
Frequently Asked Questions
A $1,000 investment in McDonald's at the start of 2023 would be worth approximately $967.29 today — a 0.97x return ($32.71 loss) over 3.7 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 2023 (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 of2023 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 McDonald's, by year
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