Average S&P 500 Equal Weight return
Over the last 10 years the S&P 500 Equal Weight has returned +11.6% a year (CAGR) with dividends reinvested — +9.7% from price alone, and +8.0% after inflation. Since 2004 the annualized figure is +10.9%. 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 | +11.82% | +10.06% | +1.76% | +8.90% |
| 3 years | Oct 3, 2023 | +16.75% | +14.87% | +1.88% | +13.60% |
| 5 years | Oct 4, 2021 | +8.61% | +6.82% | +1.80% | +4.60% |
| 10 years | Oct 3, 2016 | +11.58% | +9.69% | +1.89% | +8.03% |
| 15 years | Oct 3, 2011 | +13.54% | +11.70% | +1.84% | +10.64% |
| 20 years | Oct 2, 2006 | +9.82% | +8.08% | +1.74% | +7.09% |
| 23.4 years (all data) | May 12, 2003 | +10.89% | +9.21% | +1.68% | +8.09% |
Annualized (CAGR) from RSP 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 22 full calendar years, the market finished positive 77% of the time, with a best year of +44.6% (2009) and a worst of -40.1% (2008). The arithmetic mean of single years is +11.4% and the median +14.1% — but compounding through the crashes brings the realized annualized return to +10.9%. Almost no individual year lands near the average.
Related#
See each year individually on S&P 500 Equal Weight returns by year, or check this year's YTD so far.
More on S&P 500 Equal Weight
- Returns by year+9.5%
- Yearly charts+11.2%
- Trailing returns+10.0%
- YTD return+9.5%
- Return calculator$1,381
- Companies & weights501
- Stock performance501
- Dividend yield1.56%