Russell 2000 Return Calculator
Live Russell 2000 Index data, historical backtests since 1988, and a growth projection at its long-term average return.
About Russell 2000 Index
The Russell 2000 is the standard benchmark for US small-cap stocks. It holds roughly 2,000 of the smallest companies in the Russell 3000 index, which together make up about 7% of the total US stock market. Launched in 1984, it is reconstituted every year so that companies which grow too large move up to the Russell 1000.
- Launched
- 1984
- Constituents
- ~2,000 US small-cap stocks
- Weighting
- Market cap
- Tracking ETF
- IWM, VTWO
Hypothetical growth
What an investment in Russell 2000 could grow to if it keeps earning its long-term average return.
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Frequently asked questions
Do small caps beat large caps over the long run?+
Historically, US small caps have delivered a modest premium over large caps, but with higher volatility and long periods of underperformance, including most of the 2010s and early 2020s. The premium is not guaranteed in any given decade.
Does this Russell 2000 calculator include dividends?+
No. The Russell 2000 Index 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 Russell 2000 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 Russell 2000's actual average annual return over all available history (since 1988), 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.