What was S&P 500 ETF (SPY)'s compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2020?

S&P 500 ETF (SPY)'s CAGR from 2020 to September 2026 was 15.1% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. S&P 500 ETF (SPY) significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.

How does S&P 500 ETF (SPY) 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 $2,626.14 today. S&P 500 ETF (SPY) underperformed the S&P 500 by $38.03.

How much of the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $1,588.10 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $2,349.89. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $2,210.14, 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 S&P 500 ETF (SPY) since 2020?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2020, the real purchasing-power value of the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) position is approximately $2,054.61 in 2020 dollars. Inflation shrinks the gain, but the investment still grew faster than prices.

How did S&P 500 ETF (SPY) perform in 2020?

S&P 500 ETF (SPY) rose 16% during 2020, from $295.39 at the start of the year to $341.59 at the start of 2021.

What If You Invested $1,000 in S&P 500 ETF (SPY) in 2020?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$2,588

+$1,588 profit2.59x15.1% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,626

Its shares paid about $25.67 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Includes the fund’s 0.0945% yearly fee, roughly $10.26 over this time.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,350

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

$2,588.10

Total Profit

$1,588.10

Multiplier

2.59x

CAGR

15.1%

Max Drawdown

-23.9%

Inflation-Adjusted

$2,054.61

Benchmark Comparison

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

Asset	Value Today	Return
S&P 500 ETF (SPY)	$2,588.10	2.59x
S&P 500	$2,626.14	2.63x
Gold	$2,769.41	2.77x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,142.91	1.14x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 3.39 shares you'd own now paid about $25.67 in dividends (about $2.14 a month). That's 2.6% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $2,353; reinvested dividends added the other $234.74, 15% of the gain.

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

S&P 500 ETF (SPY) charges a yearly fee of 0.0945%. It’s already taken out of the fund’s price, so the results above include it; at today’s rate it came to roughly $10.26 on this investment. Source

Back in 2020

In 2020, a gallon of gas averaged $2.17 and the new iPhone 12 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
During 2020 itself, S&P 500 ETF (SPY) rose 16%, #73 of the 103 investments we track. The best was Tesla (+747%); the worst was AMC Entertainment (−73%). Full 2020 results →

$1,000 in S&P 500 ETF (SPY), year by year

Of the 103 investments we track that were available at the start of 2020, S&P 500 ETF (SPY) ranks #47 by growth to today — just behind Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) and ahead of Total Stock Market ETF (VTI). See the full 2020 ranking →

S&P 500 ETF (SPY) started 2020 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 32% in 2019. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Today's $2,588 is more than it was worth at any January since. It rose in 5 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 Dec 2021 ($1,509) to Sep 2022 ($1,148), a drop of 24%. At its lowest month-end, in Mar 2020, it was worth $798.06.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2020	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2021	$1,156	+16%	$1,184
Start of 2022	$1,518	+31%	$1,524
Start of 2023	$1,230	−19%	$1,248
Start of 2024	$1,549	+26%	$1,576
Start of 2025	$1,941	+25%	$1,970
Start of 2026	$2,295	+18%	$2,322
Today	$2,588	+13%	$2,626

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 2020, S&P 500 ETF (SPY) was priced at $295.39 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 3.39 shares. SPY is the oldest and most traded S&P 500 index fund. Its history here includes reinvested dividends, unlike the plain S&P 500 index line.

Measured from one January to the next, S&P 500 ETF (SPY)'s best year since then was 2021 (+31%) and its worst was 2022 (−19%).

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in S&P 500 ETF (SPY) at the start of 2020 would be worth approximately $2,588.10 today — a 2.59x return ($1,588.10 profit) over 6.7 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 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.