Average Russell 2000 return
Over the last 10 years the Russell 2000 has returned +9.9% a year (CAGR) with dividends reinvested — +8.6% from price alone, and +6.4% after inflation. Since 2001 the annualized figure is +8.5%. Every standard window, through Oct 2, 2026:
| Window | Since | Total return /yr | Price only /yr | Dividends /yr | After inflation /yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | Oct 2, 2025 | +16.55% | +15.38% | +1.17% | +13.52% |
| 3 years | Oct 3, 2023 | +19.38% | +18.06% | +1.32% | +16.16% |
| 5 years | Oct 4, 2021 | +6.34% | +5.04% | +1.31% | +2.41% |
| 10 years | Oct 3, 2016 | +9.93% | +8.56% | +1.37% | +6.44% |
| 15 years | Oct 3, 2011 | +12.24% | +10.74% | +1.51% | +9.37% |
| 20 years | Oct 2, 2006 | +8.54% | +7.11% | +1.44% | +5.84% |
| 26.4 years (all data) | May 26, 2000 | +8.52% | +7.14% | +1.38% | +5.81% |
Annualized (CAGR) from IWM daily closes at exact anniversary dates; inflation adjustment uses CPI (CPIAUCSL). The dividends column is the reinvested-dividend contribution — total return minus price return.
The years behind the average#
“Average” hides how lumpy the ride is: across 25 full calendar years, the market finished positive 72% of the time, with a best year of +47.6% (2003) and a worst of -34.1% (2008). The arithmetic mean of single years is +9.8% and the median +14.5% — but compounding through the crashes brings the realized annualized return to +8.5%. Almost no individual year lands near the average.
Related#
See each year individually on Russell 2000 returns by year, or check this year's YTD so far.
More on Russell 2000
- Returns by year+14.4%
- Monthly returns+1.3%
- Weekly returns-0.2%
- Trailing returns+15.4%
- YTD return+14.4%
- Drawdown from high−7.7%