S&P 500 History Since 1950

The S&P 500 closed at 7,691 on October 19, 2026. Its all-time high close was 7,819 on October 6, 2026 (1.6% below). Since January 3, 1950 it has risen from 16.66, about 8.3% a year excluding dividends. Its biggest one-day fall was 20.5% on October 19, 1987.

Daily data to October 19, 2026 · Index points

Latest close

7,691

October 19, 2026

All-time high close

7,819

October 6, 2026 · -1.6% from it

Starting value

16.66

January 3, 1950

Average yearly change

+8.3%

price only, excl. dividends

Price on a date

Any date since January 3, 1950. Weekends and holidays show the previous close.

Biggest one-day moves

Falls
Oct 19, 1987	−20.5%
Mar 16, 2020	−12.0%
Mar 12, 2020	−9.5%
Oct 15, 2008	−9.0%
Dec 1, 2008	−8.9%
Sep 29, 2008	−8.8%
Oct 26, 1987	−8.3%
Oct 9, 2008	−7.6%
Mar 9, 2020	−7.6%
Oct 27, 1997	−6.9%

Gains
Oct 13, 2008	+11.6%
Oct 28, 2008	+10.8%
Apr 9, 2025	+9.5%
Mar 24, 2020	+9.4%
Mar 13, 2020	+9.3%
Oct 21, 1987	+9.1%
Mar 23, 2009	+7.1%
Apr 6, 2020	+7.0%
Nov 13, 2008	+6.9%
Nov 24, 2008	+6.5%

Close-to-close changes between consecutive trading days (moves across long market closures are left out).

Bear Markets (Falls of 20% or More)

The usual definition: a fall of at least 20% from a closing high, ending at the lowest close before a 20% rebound. Prices only — not adjusted for dividends or inflation.

Fall	Peak	Trough	Length	Back to the old high
−25.4%	Jan 3, 2022 4,797	Oct 12, 2022 3,577	9 mo	Jan 2024 (2.0 yrs after the peak)
−33.9%	Feb 19, 2020 3,386	Mar 23, 2020 2,237	1 mo	Aug 2020 (0.5 yrs after the peak)
−27.6%	Jan 6, 2009 935	Mar 9, 2009 677	2 mo	Jun 2009 (0.4 yrs after the peak)
−51.9%	Oct 9, 2007 1,565	Nov 20, 2008 752	1.1 yrs	Mar 2013 (5.5 yrs after the peak)
−32.0%	Jan 4, 2002 1,173	Jul 23, 2002 798	7 mo	Nov 2004 (2.9 yrs after the peak)
−36.8%	Mar 24, 2000 1,527	Sep 21, 2001 966	1.5 yrs	May 2007 (7.2 yrs after the peak)
−33.5%	Aug 25, 1987 337	Dec 4, 1987 224	3 mo	Jul 1989 (1.9 yrs after the peak)
−27.1%	Nov 28, 1980 141	Aug 12, 1982 102	1.7 yrs	Nov 1982 (1.9 yrs after the peak)
−48.2%	Jan 11, 1973 120	Oct 3, 1974 62	1.7 yrs	Jul 1980 (7.5 yrs after the peak)
−36.1%	Nov 29, 1968 108	May 26, 1970 69	1.5 yrs	Mar 1972 (3.3 yrs after the peak)
−22.2%	Feb 9, 1966 94	Oct 7, 1966 73	8 mo	May 1967 (1.2 yrs after the peak)
−28.0%	Dec 12, 1961 73	Jun 26, 1962 52	6 mo	Sep 1963 (1.7 yrs after the peak)
−21.5%	Aug 2, 1956 50	Oct 22, 1957 39	1.2 yrs	Sep 1958 (2.1 yrs after the peak)

Decade by decade

Decade	Change	Per year
2010s	+190%	+11.2%
2000s	−24%	−2.7%
1990s	+316%	+15.3%
1980s	+227%	+12.6%
1970s	+17%	+1.6%
1960s	+54%	+4.4%

End of the previous decade to the end of the decade.

Best and worst years

Best
1954	+45.0%
1958	+38.1%
1995	+34.1%
1975	+31.5%
1997	+31.0%

Worst
2008	−38.5%
1974	−29.7%
2002	−23.4%
2022	−19.4%
1973	−17.4%

Calendar-year change, year-end close to year-end close.

S&P 500 by Year

Year-end close, change, and the year's highest and lowest close.

Year	Close	Change	High	Low
2026 YTD	7,691	+12.3%	7,819 Oct 6	6,344 Mar 30
2025	6,846	+16.4%	6,932 Dec 24	4,983 Apr 8
2024	5,882	+23.3%	6,090 Dec 6	4,689 Jan 4
2023	4,770	+24.2%	4,783 Dec 28	3,808 Jan 5
2022	3,840	−19.4%	4,797 Jan 3	3,577 Oct 12
2021	4,766	+26.9%	4,793 Dec 29	3,701 Jan 4
2020	3,756	+16.3%	3,756 Dec 31	2,237 Mar 23
2019	3,231	+28.9%	3,240 Dec 27	2,448 Jan 3
2018	2,507	−6.2%	2,931 Sep 20	2,351 Dec 24
2017	2,674	+19.4%	2,690 Dec 18	2,258 Jan 3
2016	2,239	+9.5%	2,272 Dec 13	1,829 Feb 11
2015	2,044	−0.7%	2,131 May 21	1,868 Aug 25
2014	2,059	+11.4%	2,091 Dec 29	1,742 Feb 3
2013	1,848	+29.6%	1,848 Dec 31	1,457 Jan 8
2012	1,426	+13.4%	1,466 Sep 14	1,277 Jan 3
2011	1,258	0.0%	1,364 Apr 29	1,099 Oct 3
2010	1,258	+12.8%	1,260 Dec 29	1,023 Jul 2
2009	1,115	+23.5%	1,128 Dec 28	676.53 Mar 9
2008	903.25	−38.5%	1,447 Jan 2	752.44 Nov 20
2007	1,468	+3.5%	1,565 Oct 9	1,374 Mar 5
2006	1,418	+13.6%	1,427 Dec 15	1,224 Jun 13
2005	1,248	+3.0%	1,273 Dec 14	1,138 Apr 20
2004	1,212	+9.0%	1,214 Dec 30	1,063 Aug 12
2003	1,112	+26.4%	1,112 Dec 31	800.73 Mar 11
2002	879.82	−23.4%	1,173 Jan 4	776.76 Oct 9
2001	1,148	−13.0%	1,374 Jan 30	965.80 Sep 21
2000	1,320	−10.1%	1,527 Mar 24	1,265 Dec 20
1999	1,469	+19.5%	1,469 Dec 31	1,212 Jan 14
1998	1,229	+26.7%	1,242 Dec 29	927.69 Jan 9
1997	970.43	+31.0%	983.79 Dec 5	737.01 Jan 2
1996	740.74	+20.3%	757.03 Nov 25	598.48 Jan 10
1995	615.93	+34.1%	621.69 Dec 13	459.11 Jan 3
1994	459.27	−1.5%	482.00 Feb 2	438.92 Apr 4
1993	466.45	+7.1%	470.94 Dec 28	429.05 Jan 8
1992	435.71	+4.5%	441.28 Dec 18	394.50 Apr 8
1991	417.09	+26.3%	417.09 Dec 31	311.49 Jan 9
1990	330.22	−6.6%	368.95 Jul 16	295.46 Oct 11
1989	353.40	+27.3%	359.80 Oct 9	275.31 Jan 3
1988	277.72	+12.4%	283.66 Oct 21	242.63 Jan 20
1987	247.08	+2.0%	336.77 Aug 25	223.92 Dec 4
1986	242.17	+14.6%	254.00 Dec 2	203.49 Jan 22
1985	211.28	+26.3%	212.02 Dec 16	163.68 Jan 4
1984	167.24	+1.4%	170.41 Nov 6	147.82 Jul 24
1983	164.93	+17.3%	172.65 Oct 10	138.34 Jan 3
1982	140.64	+14.8%	143.02 Nov 9	102.42 Aug 12
1981	122.55	−9.7%	138.12 Jan 6	112.77 Sep 25
1980	135.76	+25.8%	140.52 Nov 28	98.22 Mar 27
1979	107.94	+12.3%	111.27 Oct 5	96.13 Feb 27
1978	96.11	+1.1%	106.99 Sep 12	86.90 Mar 6
1977	95.10	−11.5%	107.00 Jan 3	90.71 Nov 2
1976	107.46	+19.1%	107.83 Sep 21	90.90 Jan 2
1975	90.19	+31.5%	95.61 Jul 15	70.04 Jan 8
1974	68.56	−29.7%	99.80 Jan 3	62.28 Oct 3
1973	97.55	−17.4%	120.24 Jan 11	92.16 Dec 5
1972	118.05	+15.6%	119.12 Dec 11	101.67 Jan 3
1971	102.09	+10.8%	104.77 Apr 28	90.16 Nov 23
1970	92.15	+0.1%	93.46 Jan 5	69.29 May 26
1969	92.06	−11.4%	106.16 May 14	89.20 Dec 17
1968	103.86	+7.7%	108.37 Nov 29	87.72 Mar 5
1967	96.47	+20.1%	97.59 Sep 25	80.38 Jan 3
1966	80.33	−13.1%	94.06 Feb 9	73.20 Oct 7
1965	92.43	+9.1%	92.63 Nov 15	81.60 Jun 28
1964	84.75	+13.0%	86.28 Nov 20	75.43 Jan 2
1963	75.02	+18.9%	75.02 Dec 31	62.69 Jan 2
1962	63.10	−11.8%	71.13 Jan 3	52.32 Jun 26
1961	71.55	+23.1%	72.64 Dec 12	57.57 Jan 3
1960	58.11	−3.0%	60.39 Jan 5	52.20 Oct 25
1959	59.89	+8.5%	60.71 Aug 3	53.58 Feb 9
1958	55.21	+38.1%	55.21 Dec 31	40.33 Jan 2
1957	39.99	−14.3%	49.13 Jul 15	38.98 Oct 22
1956	46.67	+2.6%	49.64 Aug 2	43.11 Jan 23
1955	45.48	+26.4%	46.41 Nov 14	34.58 Jan 17
1954	35.98	+45.0%	35.98 Dec 31	24.80 Jan 11
1953	24.81	−6.6%	26.66 Jan 5	22.71 Sep 14
1952	26.57	+11.8%	26.59 Dec 30	23.09 Feb 20
1951	23.77	+16.3%	23.85 Oct 15	20.69 Jan 3
1950	20.43	—	20.43 Dec 29	16.66 Jan 3

Daily closes since 1950 (price index, excluding dividends). Index values are shown for reference; they are price indices and exclude dividends.

S&P 500 History FAQ

What is the S&P 500 all-time high?

The highest close in our data is 7,819 on October 6, 2026. The latest close is 7,691 (October 19, 2026).

What was the biggest one-day drop?

October 19, 1987, when it fell 20.5% to 224.84.

What was the worst bear market?

From October 9, 2007 to November 20, 2008 it fell 51.9%, from 1,565 to 752.44. It regained the old high on March 28, 2013, 5.5 years after the peak (prices only, not counting dividends or inflation).

Where does this data come from?

Daily closes since 1950 (price index, excluding dividends). Later closes are added daily. Prices are for reference and may contain errors; check an official source before relying on a figure.

Historical prices are provided for information and may contain errors. Index values are the property of their publishers and are shown for reference only. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.