What was Snowflake's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2020?

Snowflake's CAGR from 2020 to September 2026 was 4.4% 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 Snowflake compare to the S&P 500 since 2020?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2020 would be worth approximately $2,624.08 today. Snowflake underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,328.63.

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

Sold today, the $295.46 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,251.14. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,225.14, 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 Snowflake since 2020?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2020, the real purchasing-power value of the Snowflake position is approximately $1,028.42 in 2020 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did Snowflake perform in 2020?

Snowflake rose 9.6% during 2020, from $253.93 on its first trading day to $278.24 at the start of 2021.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Snowflake in 2020?

Q: Did Snowflake pay dividends?

No. Snowflake paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$1,295

+$295.46 profit1.30x4.4% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,624

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,251

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

$1,295.46

Total Profit

$295.46

Multiplier

1.30x

CAGR

4.4%

Max Drawdown

-67.7%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,028.42

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2020 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Snowflake	$1,295.46	1.30x
S&P 500	$2,624.08	2.62x
Gold	$2,768.23	2.77x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,126.97	1.13x

Dividends

Snowflake paid no dividends over this period, so the whole return came from its share price.

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

Back in 2020

In September 2020, Salesforce and Berkshire Hathaway each agreed to invest $250 million in Snowflake through private placements tied to its IPO. techcrunch.com
In 2020, a gallon of gas averaged $2.17 and the new iPhone 12 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
From its first trading day to the end of 2020, Snowflake rose 9.6%, #80 of the 103 investments we track. The best was Tesla (+747%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−73%). Full 2020 results →

$1,000 in Snowflake, year by year

Of the 103 investments we track that were available at the start of 2020, Snowflake ranks #83 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind McDonald's and ahead of Zoom. See the full 2020 ranking →

It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at 4 of the 6 Januaries since, and is back above it today. Its best January was 2022, at $1,307. Today it's 0.9% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 4 of the 6 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 Oct 2021 ($1,390) to Aug 2024 ($448.89), a drop of 68%. At its lowest month-end, in Aug 2024, it was worth $448.89.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Sep 16, 2020	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2021	$1,096	+9.6%	$1,184
Start of 2022	$1,307	+19%	$1,524
Start of 2023	$534	−59%	$1,248
Start of 2024	$745	+40%	$1,576
Start of 2025	$620	−17%	$1,970
Start of 2026	$853	+38%	$2,322
Today	$1,295	+52%	$2,624

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

Snowflake began trading on September 16, 2020 and closed its first day at $253.93 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 3.94 shares. Snowflake sells cloud data-warehouse software. It went public in September 2020.

Measured from one January to the next, Snowflake's best year since then was 2023 (+40%) and its worst was 2022 (−59%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2022 and the start of 2023, the position fell 59% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Snowflake at the close of its first trading day (September 16, 2020) would be worth approximately $1,295.46 today — a 1.30x return ($295.46 profit) over 6.0 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 2020 (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 of2020 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.