What was UnitedHealth's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2021?

UnitedHealth's CAGR from 2021 to September 2026 was 3.0% 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 UnitedHealth compare to the S&P 500 since 2021?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2021 would be worth approximately $2,218.04 today. UnitedHealth underperformed the S&P 500 by $1,035.74.

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

Sold today, the $182.30 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,154.96. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,138.92, 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 UnitedHealth since 2021?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2021, the real purchasing-power value of the UnitedHealth position is approximately $982.47 in 2021 dollars. After inflation, the investment has lost purchasing power compared with the original amount.

How did UnitedHealth perform in 2021?

UnitedHealth rose 46% during 2021, from $315.90 at the start of the year to $460.38 at the start of 2022.

What If You Invested $1,000 in UnitedHealth in 2021?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$1,182

+$182.30 profit1.18x3.0% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218

Its shares paid about $28.68 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,155

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

$1,182.30

Total Profit

$182.30

Multiplier

1.18x

CAGR

3.0%

Max Drawdown

-58.5%

Inflation-Adjusted

$982.47

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2021 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
UnitedHealth	$1,182.30	1.18x
S&P 500	$2,218.04	2.22x
Gold	$2,213.49	2.21x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,120.46	1.12x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 3.17 shares you'd own now paid about $28.68 in dividends (about $2.39 a month). That's 2.9% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $1,069; reinvested dividends added the other $113.62, 62% of the gain.

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

Back in 2021

In January 2021, UnitedHealth's Optum agreed to combine with health care technology company Change Healthcare. sec.gov
In 2021, a gallon of gas averaged $3.01 and the new iPhone 13 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com
During 2021 itself, UnitedHealth rose 46%, #41 of the 111 investments we track. The best was Solana (+11,084%); the worst was Zoom (−49%). Full 2021 results →

$1,000 in UnitedHealth, year by year

Of the 111 investments we track that were available at the start of 2021, UnitedHealth ranks #82 by growth to today — just behind Snowflake and ahead of Airbnb. See the full 2021 ranking →

UnitedHealth started 2021 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 21% in 2020. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2024, at $1,609. Today it's 27% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 5 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2025 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Nov 2024 ($1,843) to Jul 2025 ($765.34), a drop of 58%. At its lowest month-end, in Jul 2025, it was worth $765.34.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2021	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2022	$1,457	+46%	$1,287
Start of 2023	$1,524	+4.6%	$1,054
Start of 2024	$1,609	+5.6%	$1,331
Start of 2025	$1,528	−5.0%	$1,664
Start of 2026	$1,044	−32%	$1,962
Today	$1,182	+13%	$2,218

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 2021, UnitedHealth was priced at $315.90 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 3.17 shares. UnitedHealth Group is the largest US health insurer.

Measured from one January to the next, UnitedHealth's best year since then was 2021 (+46%) and its worst was 2025 (−32%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2024 and the start of 2026, the position fell 35% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in UnitedHealth at the start of 2021 would be worth approximately $1,182.30 today — a 1.18x return ($182.30 profit) over 5.7 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 2021 (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 of2021 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.