SPY Return Calculator
Live SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust data, historical backtests since 1993, and a growth projection at its long-term average return.
About SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
SPY, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, was the first exchange-traded fund listed in the United States when it launched in January 1993. It remains the most heavily traded security in the world and is the default vehicle for anyone who wants to buy or trade the S&P 500 in a single ticker.
- Launched
- January 22, 1993
- Tracks
- S&P 500 Index
- Expense ratio
- 0.0945%
- Issuer
- State Street (SPDR)
Hypothetical growth
What an investment in SPY could grow to if it keeps earning its long-term average return.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is SPY more expensive than VOO or IVV?+
SPY is structured as a unit investment trust, an older legal structure that cannot reinvest dividends internally or lend securities. Its 0.0945% expense ratio is roughly three times VOO's 0.03%. Over 30 years that gap compounds to a few percent of the final balance.
What would $10,000 invested in SPY in 1993 be worth today?+
Use the lump-sum table above and select the row for the fund's inception. It is calculated from live, dividend-adjusted price data, so the answer updates every trading day.
Does this SPY calculator include dividends?+
Yes. All historical figures use SPY's adjusted closing price, which accounts for stock splits and assumes every dividend was reinvested on the payment date. This is the standard way to measure total return.
Where does the SPY price data come from?+
Historical and live prices for the ETF 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 SPY's actual average annual return over all available history (since 1993), 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. 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.