Dow Jones Return Calculator
Live Dow Jones Industrial Average data, historical backtests since 1992, and a growth projection at its long-term average return.
About Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is the oldest widely followed US stock index, created by Charles Dow in 1896. It tracks 30 large, established American companies and is price-weighted, meaning higher-priced stocks move the index more than lower-priced ones regardless of company size.
- Created
- May 26, 1896
- Constituents
- 30 large US companies
- Weighting
- Price-weighted
- Tracking ETF
- DIA
Hypothetical growth
What an investment in Dow Jones could grow to if it keeps earning its long-term average return.
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Frequently asked questions
Why does the Dow only have 30 stocks?+
The Dow was designed in 1896 as a simple average of a handful of industrial companies. It grew to 30 stocks in 1928 and has stayed there since. The S&P 500, with 500 companies weighted by market value, is now the more common benchmark for the overall US market.
Does the Dow return include dividends?+
No. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price index. Dividends from its 30 companies have historically added roughly 2% per year on top of the price return shown here, so a real investment through an ETF such as DIA would have grown more than this calculator shows.
Does this Dow Jones calculator include dividends?+
No. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price index, so the figures here reflect index level only. A real investment through an ETF that tracks it would also have collected dividends, which historically add roughly 1% to 2% per year for broad US indexes.
Where does the Dow Jones price data come from?+
Historical and live prices for the index are fetched from a market data feed and cached for one hour, so the numbers on this page track the current market with at most a short delay. The backtest uses daily data for periods under five years and weekly data for longer periods.
What annual return does the hypothetical growth section use?+
It starts at Dow Jones's actual average annual return over all available history (since 1992), the same figure as the "Since inception" row of the "If you invested" table. The "Losses and gains" section above it shows the longest stretch it stayed below a previous high and its best and worst calendar years, as a reminder of how uneven the ride to that average was. Because the index is a price index, that average excludes dividends, which have historically added roughly 1% to 2% per year. Past returns are not a forecast, so change the rate to test more conservative or optimistic scenarios. Remember that inflation of around 2% to 3% per year reduces the real purchasing power of any nominal projection.