S&P 500 · Annual Returns — A Century of Calendar-Year Returns
S&P 500 year to date: +12.8% as of 2026-10-02.
Annual Returns — Historical annual returns of the S&P 500 since 1928, displaying full-year gains, losses, and historical dispersion.
The plate
Latest Snapshot
- Average
- +8.1%
- Positive years
- 66
- Negative years
- 30
- Best year
- 1954 +45.0%
- Worst year
- 1931 -47.1%
- Observations
- 99
- Sample
- 1928-12-31 – 2026-10-02
Annual price returns for the S&P 500 since 1928 (index level, dividends not included), charting calendar-year outcomes: green for gains, red for losses. Summary metrics below compute historical positive, negative, and flat years alongside record extremes.
What this page answers
Since 1928, the S&P 500 has recorded 98 calendar years: 66 positive and 30 negative (a 67% annual win rate), delivering an arithmetic mean annual return of +8.1%. Its strongest annual advance was 1954 (+45.0%); its steepest contraction occurred in 1931 (-47.1%). The most recent period, 2026 (year-to-date, through 2026-10-02), stands at +12.8%.
Annual price returns for the S&P 500 since 1928 (index level, dividends not included), charting calendar-year outcomes: green for gains, red for losses. Summary metrics below compute historical positive, negative, and flat years alongside record extremes. The data is refreshed by the History of Market pipeline and published as a stable JSON endpoint for research, citation, and AI-agent use.
S&P 500 — historical calendar-year returns, 1928–2026
| Year | Return |
|---|---|
| 2026 | +12.8% |
| 2025 | +16.4% |
| 2024 | +23.3% |
| 2023 | +24.2% |
| 2022 | -19.4% |
| 2021 | +26.9% |
| 2020 | +16.3% |
| 2019 | +28.9% |
| 2018 | -6.2% |
| 2017 | +19.4% |
| 2016 | +9.5% |
| 2015 | -0.7% |
| 2014 | +11.4% |
| 2013 | +29.6% |
| 2012 | +13.4% |
| 2011 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | +12.8% |
| 2009 | +23.5% |
| 2008 | -38.5% |
| 2007 | +3.5% |
| 2006 | +13.6% |
| 2005 | +3.0% |
| 2004 | +9.0% |
| 2003 | +26.4% |
| 2002 | -23.4% |
| 2001 | -13.0% |
| 2000 | -10.1% |
| 1999 | +19.5% |
| 1998 | +26.7% |
| 1997 | +31.0% |
| 1996 | +20.3% |
| 1995 | +34.1% |
| 1994 | -1.5% |
| 1993 | +7.1% |
| 1992 | +4.5% |
| 1991 | +26.3% |
| 1990 | -6.6% |
| 1989 | +27.3% |
| 1988 | +12.4% |
| 1987 | +2.0% |
| 1986 | +14.6% |
| 1985 | +26.3% |
| 1984 | +1.4% |
| 1983 | +17.3% |
| 1982 | +14.8% |
| 1981 | -9.7% |
| 1980 | +25.8% |
| 1979 | +12.3% |
| 1978 | +1.1% |
| 1977 | -11.5% |
| 1976 | +19.2% |
| 1975 | +31.6% |
| 1974 | -29.7% |
| 1973 | -17.4% |
| 1972 | +15.6% |
| 1971 | +10.8% |
| 1970 | +0.1% |
| 1969 | -11.4% |
| 1968 | +7.7% |
| 1967 | +20.1% |
| 1966 | -13.1% |
| 1965 | +9.1% |
| 1964 | +13.0% |
| 1963 | +18.9% |
| 1962 | -11.8% |
| 1961 | +23.1% |
| 1960 | -3.0% |
| 1959 | +8.5% |
| 1958 | +38.1% |
| 1957 | -14.3% |
| 1956 | +2.6% |
| 1955 | +26.4% |
| 1954 | +45.0% |
| 1953 | -6.6% |
| 1952 | +11.8% |
| 1951 | +16.4% |
| 1950 | +21.7% |
| 1949 | +10.5% |
| 1948 | -0.7% |
| 1947 | 0.0% |
| 1946 | -11.9% |
| 1945 | +30.7% |
| 1944 | +13.8% |
| 1943 | +19.5% |
| 1942 | +12.4% |
| 1941 | -17.9% |
| 1940 | -15.1% |
| 1939 | -5.2% |
| 1938 | +24.6% |
| 1937 | -38.6% |
| 1936 | +27.9% |
| 1935 | +41.4% |
| 1934 | -4.7% |
| 1933 | +44.1% |
| 1932 | -14.8% |
| 1931 | -47.1% |
| 1930 | -28.5% |
| 1929 | -11.9% |
| 1928 | +37.9% |
Complete record (99 rows). Raw dataset: https://historyofmarket.com/api/sp500/annual-returns.json
Data & Source
GET /api/sp500/annual-returns.json — Canonical dataset endpoint.
Exchange closing prices · Company filings · Robert Shiller · FRED · NBER.
FAQ
What was the best year on record?
1954, when the S&P 500 rallied +45.0%.
What was the worst year on record?
1931, when the S&P 500 plunged -47.1%.
Where does this data come from?
History of Market combines public market and macro datasets — exchange closing prices, company filings, Robert Shiller, FRED, NBER, and the UBS Global Investment Returns Yearbook (Dimson–Marsh–Staunton). The exact endpoint for this panel is linked below.
How often is it updated?
Daily-tier datasets refresh after the U.S. market close, with a broader weekly refresh on Sunday. The timestamp shown on this page comes from the JSON payload.
Can I use the data?
Yes, for research and education with attribution to History of Market. Upstream data sources retain their own terms.