Inflation-Adjusted NASDAQ Composite

The NASDAQ Composite index includes over 3,700 common equities listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, heavily weighted towards technology companies. Like other indices, its nominal value doesn't reflect the impact of inflation over time. This page adjusts the historical NASDAQ Composite index level for inflation using the US Consumer Price Index (CPI-U), showing its value in constant dollars. Use the charts and data to analyze the NASDAQ's real performance, compare nominal vs. inflation-adjusted returns, and understand its growth trajectory after accounting for inflation.

Adjusted prices baseline: March 2026 (latest available CPI).

The current value of the NASDAQ Composite index is 24,663.8 (as of the close of Apr 28, 2026), 0.9% lower than the all-time high of 24,887.1 (Apr 27, 2026).

Since February 5, 1971, the inflation-adjusted total return for the index has been 2,880%, which is equivalent to an annual growth rate of 6.34%.

In nominal values, the total return since this date has been 24,564%, or an annualized rate of 10.49%.

Inflation-Adjusted Values by Month

This data presents the NASDAQ Composite index's end-of-month closing levels over time. Inflation-adjusted values express older levels in terms of roughly today's purchasing power using the latest CPI data, the same present-value method used by the US Inflation Calculator to compare dollar amounts across different years. The most recent entry will remain the same in both columns until the next CPI figures are published.

Date Inflation-Adjusted Nominal value
Apr 2026 24,663.8 24,663.8
Mar 2026 21,590.63 21,590.63
Feb 2026 22,906 22,668.21
Jan 2026 23,819.68 23,461.82
Dec 2025 23,683.73 23,241.99
Nov 2025 23,804.79 23,365.69
Oct 2025 23,724.96 23,724.96
Sep 2025 23,037.65 22,660.01
Aug 2025 21,868.6 21,455.55
Jul 2025 21,590.93 21,122.45
Jun 2025 20,852.95 20,369.73
May 2025 19,633.91 19,113.77
Apr 2025 17,958.54 17,446.34
Mar 2025 17,862.63 17,299.29
Feb 2025 19,504.76 18,847.28
Jan 2025 20,402.35 19,627.44
Dec 2024 20,204.6 19,310.79
Nov 2024 20,114.83 19,218.17
Oct 2024 18,929.16 18,095.15
Sep 2024 19,049.42 18,189.17
Aug 2024 18,581.14 17,713.62
Jul 2024 18,476.35 17,599.4
Jun 2024 18,637.81 17,732.6
May 2024 17,595.25 16,735.02
Apr 2024 16,490.03 15,657.82
Mar 2024 17,317.18 16,379.46
Feb 2024 17,123.16 16,091.92
Jan 2024 16,235.66 15,164.01
Dec 2023 16,159.76 15,011.35
Nov 2023 15,299.36 14,226.22
Oct 2023 13,792.81 12,851.24
Sep 2023 14,182.41 13,219.32
Aug 2023 15,094.91 14,034.97
Jul 2023 15,496.83 14,346.02
Jun 2023 14,922.37 13,787.92
May 2023 14,044.79 12,935.29
Apr 2023 13,308.73 12,226.58
Mar 2023 13,370.95 12,221.91
Feb 2023 12,574.02 11,455.54
Jan 2023 12,786.61 11,584.55
Dec 2022 11,644.89 10,466.48
Nov 2022 12,720 11,468
Oct 2022 12,175.45 10,988.15
Sep 2022 11,765.88 10,575.62
Aug 2022 13,174.36 11,816.2
Jul 2022 13,809.98 12,390.69
Jun 2022 12,290.58 11,028.74
May 2022 13,648.6 12,081.39
Apr 2022 14,088.31 12,334.64
Mar 2022 16,332.99 14,220.52
Feb 2022 16,005.06 13,751.4
Jan 2022 16,724.98 14,239.88
Dec 2021 18,529.9 15,644.97
Nov 2021 18,459.38 15,537.69
Oct 2021 18,503.16 15,498.39
Sep 2021 17,393.13 14,448.58
Aug 2021 18,418.89 15,259.24
Jul 2021 17,747.46 14,672.68
Jun 2021 17,627.76 14,503.95
May 2021 16,865.14 13,748.74
Apr 2021 17,264.89 13,962.68
Mar 2021 16,514.41 13,246.87
Feb 2021 16,562.94 13,192.35
Jan 2021 16,500.03 13,070.69
Dec 2020 16,338.97 12,888.28
Nov 2020 15,479.38 12,198.74
Oct 2020 13,837.61 10,911.59
Sep 2020 14,168.25 11,167.68
Aug 2020 14,960.14 11,775.46
Jul 2020 13,694.38 10,745.27
Jun 2020 12,884.31 10,058.77
May 2020 12,222.12 9,489.87
Apr 2020 11,449.18 8,889.55
Mar 2020 9,850.93 7,700.1
Feb 2020 10,936.6 8,567.37
Jan 2020 11,713.56 9,150.94
Dec 2019 11,529.84 8,972.6
Nov 2019 11,125.05 8,665.47
Oct 2019 10,640.32 8,292.36
Sep 2019 10,287.79 7,999.33
Aug 2019 10,248.94 7,962.88
Jul 2019 10,521.96 8,175.42
Jun 2019 10,321.44 8,006.24
May 2019 9,610.32 7,453.15
Apr 2019 10,460.67 8,095.39
Mar 2019 10,040.53 7,729.32
Feb 2019 9,840.09 7,532.53
Jan 2019 9,552.68 7,281.74
Dec 2018 8,721.21 6,635.28
Nov 2018 9,604.26 7,330.54
Oct 2018 9,539.92 7,305.9
Sep 2018 10,525.35 8,046.35
Aug 2018 10,620.34 8,109.54
Jul 2018 10,052.64 7,671.79
Jun 2018 9,841.69 7,510.3
May 2018 9,767.89 7,442.12
Apr 2018 9,313.16 7,066.27
Mar 2018 9,346.43 7,063.44
Feb 2018 9,645.5 7,273.01
Jan 2018 9,873.71 7,411.48
Dec 2017 9,246.93 6,903.39
Nov 2017 9,202.11 6,873.97
Oct 2017 9,006.47 6,727.67
Sep 2017 8,690.78 6,495.96
Aug 2017 8,646.28 6,428.66
Jul 2017 8,563.53 6,348.12
Jun 2017 8,277.63 6,140.42
May 2017 8,363.53 6,198.52
Apr 2017 8,166.89 6,047.61
Mar 2017 8,007.08 5,911.74
Feb 2017 7,896.6 5,825.44
Jan 2017 7,635 5,614.79
Dec 2016 7,362.64 5,383.12
Nov 2016 7,283.72 5,323.68
Oct 2016 7,088.59 5,189.13
Sep 2016 7,265.48 5,312
Aug 2016 7,147.52 5,213.22
Jul 2016 7,083.97 5,162.13
Jun 2016 6,634.83 4,842.67
May 2016 6,801.47 4,948.05
Apr 2016 6,590.65 4,775.36
Mar 2016 6,752.93 4,869.85
Feb 2016 6,347.64 4,557.95
Jan 2016 6,430.91 4,613.95
Dec 2015 6,990.85 5,007.41
Nov 2015 7,107.85 5,108.67
Oct 2015 7,016.6 5,053.75
Sep 2015 6,411.72 4,620.16
Aug 2015 6,618.38 4,776.51
Jul 2015 7,095.73 5,128.28
Jun 2015 6,900.53 4,986.87
May 2015 7,040.18 5,070.03
Apr 2015 6,896.57 4,941.42
Mar 2015 6,853.89 4,900.88
Feb 2015 6,982.82 4,963.53
Jan 2015 6,549.3 4,635.24
Dec 2014 6,660.24 4,736.05
Nov 2014 6,700.2 4,791.63
Oct 2014 6,440.26 4,630.74
Sep 2014 6,233.54 4,493.39
Aug 2014 6,358.85 4,580.27
Jul 2014 6,056.47 4,369.77
Jun 2014 6,107.33 4,408.18
May 2014 5,888.9 4,242.62
Apr 2014 5,731.09 4,114.56
Mar 2014 5,867.97 4,198.99
Feb 2014 6,059.25 4,308.12
Jan 2014 5,793.34 4,103.88
Dec 2013 5,917.92 4,176.59
Nov 2013 5,752.07 4,059.89
Oct 2013 5,542.12 3,919.71
Sep 2013 5,318.8 3,771.48
Aug 2013 5,068.57 3,589.87
Jul 2013 5,126.26 3,626.37
Jun 2013 4,812.75 3,403.25
May 2013 4,898.95 3,455.91
Apr 2013 4,727.15 3,328.79
Mar 2013 4,635.32 3,267.52
Feb 2013 4,494.78 3,160.19
Jan 2013 4,505.7 3,142.13
Dec 2012 4,342.67 3,019.51
Nov 2012 4,317.68 3,010.24
Oct 2012 4,250.1 2,977.23
Sep 2012 4,446.8 3,116.23
Aug 2012 4,396.02 3,066.96
Jul 2012 4,236.8 2,939.52
Jun 2012 4,223.48 2,935.06
May 2012 4,062.5 2,827.34
Apr 2012 4,372.07 3,046.36
Mar 2012 4,450.36 3,091.57
Feb 2012 4,303.32 2,966.89
Jan 2012 4,099.29 2,813.84
Dec 2011 3,811.97 2,605.15
Nov 2011 3,824.74 2,620.34
Oct 2011 3,914.95 2,684.41
Sep 2011 3,515.36 2,415.4
Aug 2011 3,759.83 2,579.46
Jul 2011 4,028.79 2,756.38
Jun 2011 4,057.44 2,773.52
May 2011 4,143.37 2,835.3
Apr 2011 4,219.01 2,873.54
Mar 2011 4,109.54 2,781.07
Feb 2011 4,151.4 2,782.27
Jan 2011 4,048.63 2,700.08
Dec 2010 3,996.79 2,652.87
Nov 2010 3,770.28 2,498.23
Oct 2010 3,785.72 2,507.41
Sep 2010 3,580.63 2,368.62
Aug 2010 3,197.63 2,114.03
Jul 2010 3,415.11 2,254.7
Jun 2010 3,195.46 2,109.24
May 2010 3,416.04 2,257.04
Apr 2010 3,727.91 2,461.19
Mar 2010 3,638.44 2,397.96
Feb 2010 3,410.07 2,238.26
Jan 2010 3,272.38 2,147.35
Dec 2009 3,469.81 2,269.15
Nov 2009 3,273.59 2,144.6
Oct 2009 3,123.93 2,045.11
Sep 2009 3,245.14 2,122.42
Aug 2009 3,073.74 2,009.06
Jul 2009 3,033.77 1,978.5
Jun 2009 2,809.34 1,835.04
May 2009 2,739.73 1,774.33
Apr 2009 2,659.33 1,717.3
Mar 2009 2,373.01 1,528.59
Feb 2009 2,144.18 1,377.84
Jan 2009 2,309.02 1,476.42
Dec 2008 2,477.1 1,577.03
Nov 2008 2,387.03 1,535.57
Oct 2008 2,623.97 1,720.95
Sep 2008 3,157.31 2,091.88
Aug 2008 3,568.4 2,367.52
Jul 2008 3,491.15 2,325.55
Jun 2008 3,460.33 2,292.98
May 2008 3,845.3 2,522.66
Apr 2008 3,708.81 2,412.8
Mar 2008 3,524.54 2,279.1
Feb 2008 3,543.21 2,271.48
Jan 2008 3,738.69 2,389.86
Dec 2007 4,169.84 2,652.28
Nov 2007 4,180.68 2,660.96
Oct 2007 4,518.7 2,859.12
Sep 2007 4,278.72 2,701.5
Aug 2007 4,123.53 2,596.36
Jul 2007 4,036.56 2,546.27
Jun 2007 4,125.81 2,603.23
May 2007 4,135.85 2,604.52
Apr 2007 4,034.22 2,525.09
Mar 2007 3,894.08 2,421.64
Feb 2007 3,920.63 2,416.15
Jan 2007 4,019.55 2,463.93
Dec 2006 3,952.23 2,415.29
Nov 2006 3,985.12 2,431.77
Oct 2006 3,872.74 2,366.71
Sep 2006 3,675.52 2,258.43
Aug 2006 3,536.55 2,183.75
Jul 2006 3,393.76 2,091.47
Jun 2006 3,535 2,172.09
May 2006 3,553.06 2,178.88
Apr 2006 3,806.17 2,322.57
Mar 2006 3,867.01 2,339.79
Feb 2006 3,791.37 2,281.39
Jan 2006 3,839.7 2,305.82
Dec 2005 3,700.33 2,205.32
Nov 2005 3,731.31 2,232.82
Oct 2005 3,514.81 2,120.3
Sep 2005 3,574.02 2,151.69
Aug 2005 3,619.73 2,152.9
Jul 2005 3,692.22 2,184.83
Jun 2005 3,492.21 2,056.96
May 2005 3,513.13 2,068.22
Apr 2005 3,260.81 1,921.65
Mar 2005 3,415.27 1,999.23
Feb 2005 3,532.35 2,051.72
Jan 2005 3,571.24 2,062.41
Dec 2004 3,774.87 2,175.44
Nov 2004 3,625.1 2,096.81
Oct 2004 3,416.28 1,974.99
Sep 2004 3,298.37 1,896.84
Aug 2004 3,202.98 1,838.1
Jul 2004 3,306.16 1,896.31
Jun 2004 3,578.29 2,055.65
May 2004 3,476.42 1,990.81
Apr 2004 3,371.32 1,919.39
Mar 2004 3,531.2 2,004
Feb 2004 3,580.26 2,018.83
Jan 2004 3,682.7 2,065.44
Dec 2003 3,577.37 1,996.62
Nov 2003 3,513.43 1,963.06
Oct 2003 3,457.67 1,937.14
Sep 2003 3,214.25 1,802.71
Aug 2003 3,244.57 1,813.82
Jul 2003 3,155.55 1,757.37
Jun 2003 2,914.65 1,621.44
May 2003 2,879.1 1,599.92
Apr 2003 2,645.82 1,472.69
Mar 2003 2,432.68 1,357
Feb 2003 2,421.56 1,342.73
Jan 2003 2,418.97 1,331.04
Dec 2002 2,437.83 1,335.51
Nov 2002 2,693.39 1,478.78
Oct 2002 2,421.96 1,329.75
Sep 2002 2,138.28 1,172.06
Aug 2002 2,402.77 1,314.85
Jul 2002 2,435.36 1,328.26
Jun 2002 2,685.78 1,463.21
May 2002 2,967.38 1,615.73
Apr 2002 3,100.53 1,688.23
Mar 2002 3,408.05 1,845.35
Feb 2002 3,215.75 1,731.49
Jan 2002 3,606.11 1,934.03
Dec 2001 3,644.86 1,950.4
Nov 2001 3,593.59 1,930.58
Oct 2001 3,140.83 1,690.2
Sep 2001 2,775.79 1,498.8
Aug 2001 3,358.74 1,805.43
Jul 2001 3,771.18 2,027.13
Jun 2001 4,008.08 2,160.54
May 2001 3,921.84 2,110.49
Apr 2001 3,950.31 2,116.24
Mar 2001 3,448.8 1,840.26
Feb 2001 4,041.88 2,151.83
Jan 2001 5,228.96 2,772.73
Dec 2000 4,688.49 2,470.52
Nov 2000 4,927.46 2,597.93
Oct 2000 6,394.8 3,369.63
Sep 2000 6,982.23 3,672.82
Aug 2000 8,038.14 4,206.35
Jul 2000 7,198.55 3,766.99
Jun 2000 7,596.64 3,966.11
May 2000 6,548.25 3,400.91
Apr 2000 7,442.15 3,860.66
Mar 2000 8,820.14 4,572.83
Feb 2000 9,133.73 4,696.69
Jan 2000 7,708.26 3,940.35
Dec 1999 7,984.19 4,069.31
Nov 1999 6,545.71 3,336.16
Oct 1999 5,823.74 2,966.43
Sep 1999 5,400.94 2,746.16
Aug 1999 5,413.34 2,739.35
Jul 1999 5,226.54 2,638.49
Jun 1999 5,336.89 2,686.12
May 1999 4,908.53 2,470.52
Apr 1999 5,052.24 2,542.85
Mar 1999 4,925.98 2,461.4
Feb 1999 4,592.93 2,288.03
Jan 1999 5,036.38 2,505.89
Dec 1998 4,417.66 2,192.69
Nov 1998 3,925.39 1,949.54
Oct 1998 3,566.68 1,771.39
Sep 1998 3,418.88 1,693.84
Aug 1998 3,029.82 1,499.25
Jul 1998 3,788.53 1,872.39
Jun 1998 3,838.45 1,894.74
May 1998 3,608.14 1,778.87
Apr 1998 3,796.76 1,868.41
Mar 1998 3,737.15 1,835.68
Feb 1998 3,611.15 1,770.51
Jan 1998 3,309 1,619.36
Dec 1997 3,214.82 1,570.35
Nov 1997 3,272.58 1,600.55
Oct 1997 3,256.38 1,593.61
Sep 1997 3,453.08 1,685.69
Aug 1997 3,259.66 1,587.32
Jul 1997 3,279.11 1,593.81
Jun 1997 2,970.62 1,442.07
May 1997 2,888.22 1,400.32
Apr 1997 2,598.75 1,260.76
Mar 1997 2,521.38 1,221.7
Feb 1997 2,708.33 1,309
Jan 1997 2,863.89 1,379.85
Dec 1996 2,687.99 1,291.03
Nov 1996 2,691.28 1,292.61
Oct 1996 2,548.06 1,221.51
Sep 1996 2,567.46 1,226.92
Aug 1996 2,396.3 1,141.5
Jul 1996 2,272.77 1,080.59
Jun 1996 2,497.19 1,185.02
May 1996 2,621.95 1,243.43
Apr 1996 2,515.2 1,190.52
Mar 1996 2,335.88 1,101.4
Feb 1996 2,345.07 1,100.05
Jan 1996 2,266.56 1,059.79
Dec 1995 2,263.37 1,052.13
Nov 1995 2,277.09 1,059.2
Oct 1995 2,225.9 1,036.06
Sep 1995 2,249.29 1,043.54
Aug 1995 2,203.1 1,020.11
Jul 1995 2,167.95 1,001.21
Jun 1995 2,021.23 933.45
May 1995 1,875.79 864.58
Apr 1995 1,834.71 843.98
Mar 1995 1,782.39 817.21
Feb 1995 1,736.91 793.73
Jan 1995 1,659.19 755.2
Dec 1994 1,658.7 751.96
Nov 1994 1,655.08 750.32
Oct 1994 1,717.31 777.49
Sep 1994 1,689.28 764.29
Aug 1994 1,696.76 765.62
Jul 1994 1,606.92 722.16
Jun 1994 1,575.12 705.96
May 1994 1,645.89 735.19
Apr 1994 1,643.99 733.84
Mar 1994 1,667.8 743.46
Feb 1994 1,783.87 792.5
Jan 1994 1,807.97 800.47
Dec 1993 1,759.32 776.8
Nov 1993 1,708.57 754.39
Oct 1993 1,766.11 779.26
Sep 1993 1,735.91 762.78
Aug 1993 1,694.03 742.84
Jul 1993 1,611.5 704.7
Jun 1993 1,609.79 703.95
May 1993 1,604.19 700.53
Apr 1993 1,516.73 661.42
Mar 1993 1,586.98 690.13
Feb 1993 1,547.85 670.77
Jan 1993 1,612.49 696.34
Dec 1992 1,575.32 676.95
Nov 1992 1,517.89 652.73
Oct 1992 1,409.27 605.17
Sep 1992 1,363.08 583.27
Aug 1992 1,319.73 563.12
Jul 1992 1,365.11 580.83
Jun 1992 1,327.45 563.6
May 1992 1,383.51 585.31
Apr 1992 1,369.8 578.68
Mar 1992 1,431.25 603.77
Feb 1992 1,509.24 633.47
Jan 1992 1,482.99 620.21
Dec 1991 1,404.04 586.34
Nov 1991 1,255.43 523.9
Oct 1991 1,304.94 542.98
Sep 1991 1,268.09 526.88
Aug 1991 1,270.76 525.68
Jul 1991 1,217.18 502.04
Jun 1991 1,155.55 475.92
May 1991 1,232.48 506.11
Apr 1991 1,183.88 484.72
Mar 1991 1,179.72 482.3
Feb 1991 1,109.81 453.05
Jan 1991 1,016.15 414.2
Dec 1990 922.62 373.84
Nov 1990 886.15 359.06
Oct 1990 815.86 329.84
Sep 1990 857.28 344.51
Aug 1990 956.54 381.21
Jul 1990 1,109.76 438.24
Jun 1990 1,175.17 462.29
May 1990 1,173.05 458.97
Apr 1990 1,076.13 420.07
Mar 1990 1,117.49 435.54
Feb 1990 1,098.55 425.83
Jan 1990 1,077.75 415.81
Dec 1989 1,191.02 454.82
Nov 1989 1,196.24 456.09
Oct 1989 1,197.89 455.63
Sep 1989 1,249.31 472.92
Aug 1989 1,243.81 469.33
Jul 1989 1,204.69 453.84
Jun 1989 1,158.25 435.29
May 1989 1,190.07 446.17
Apr 1989 1,146.89 427.55
Mar 1989 1,098.18 406.73
Feb 1989 1,085.44 399.71
Jan 1989 1,094.26 401.3
Dec 1988 1,045.12 381.38
Nov 1988 1,019.6 371.45
Oct 1988 1,050.69 382.46
Sep 1988 1,068.67 387.71
Aug 1988 1,044.89 376.55
Jul 1988 1,079.34 387.33
Jun 1988 1,104.42 394.66
May 1988 1,040.78 370.34
Apr 1988 1,069.4 379.23
Mar 1988 1,061.9 374.64
Feb 1988 1,044.55 366.94
Jan 1988 983.68 344.66
Dec 1987 945.63 330.47
Nov 1987 873.2 305.16
Oct 1987 925.91 323.3
Sep 1987 1,275.74 444.29
Aug 1987 1,313.26 454.97
Jul 1987 1,262.03 434.93
Jun 1987 1,235.52 424.67
May 1987 1,216.15 416.54
Apr 1987 1,224.19 417.81
Mar 1987 1,266.8 430.05
Feb 1987 1,257.44 424.97
Jan 1987 1,164.24 392.06
Dec 1986 1,042.43 348.83
Nov 1986 1,075.5 359.57
Oct 1986 1,080.06 360.77
Sep 1986 1,050.78 350.67
Aug 1986 1,152.46 382.86
Jul 1986 1,119.92 371.37
Jun 1986 1,222.87 405.51
May 1986 1,213.39 400.16
Apr 1986 1,165.29 383.24
Mar 1986 1,137.29 374.72
Feb 1986 1,086.2 359.53
Jan 1986 1,011.64 335.77
Dec 1985 981.67 324.93
Nov 1985 951.1 313.95
Oct 1985 888.69 292.54
Sep 1985 854.74 280.33
Aug 1985 910.26 297.71
Jul 1985 922.91 301.29
Jun 1985 909.01 296.2
May 1985 894.93 290.8
Apr 1985 866.65 280.56
Mar 1985 866.5 279.2
Feb 1985 885.25 284.17
Jan 1985 872.33 278.7
Dec 1984 775.67 247.35
Nov 1984 760.56 242.53
Oct 1984 774.67 247.03
Sep 1984 786.03 249.94
Aug 1984 804.65 254.64
Jul 1984 728.63 229.7
Jun 1984 767.77 241.11
May 1984 743.52 232.82
Apr 1984 792.51 247.44
Mar 1984 807.12 250.78
Feb 1984 814.47 252.57
Jan 1984 869.86 268.43
Dec 1983 908.17 278.6
Nov 1983 932.13 285.67
Oct 1983 897.62 274.55
Sep 1983 972.77 296.65
Aug 1983 963.68 292.42
Jul 1983 1,004.72 303.96
Jun 1983 1,057.68 318.7
May 1983 1,027.69 308.73
Apr 1983 981.46 293.06
Mar 1983 913.4 270.8
Feb 1983 879.23 260.67
Jan 1983 838.53 248.35
Dec 1982 786.32 232.41
Nov 1982 782.77 232.31
Oct 1982 715 212.63
Sep 1982 632.94 187.65
Aug 1982 600.64 177.71
Jul 1982 566.78 167.35
Jun 1982 583.15 171.3
May 1982 615.41 178.54
Apr 1982 642.68 184.7
Mar 1982 613.78 175.65
Feb 1982 626.32 179.43
Jan 1982 659.69 188.39
Dec 1981 687.97 195.84
Nov 1981 709.66 201.37
Oct 1981 690.27 195.24
Sep 1981 637.86 180.03
Aug 1981 700.32 195.75
Jul 1981 762.91 211.63
Jun 1981 786.35 215.75
May 1981 821.74 223.47
Apr 1981 803.26 216.74
Mar 1981 784.23 210.18
Feb 1981 743.86 198.01
Jan 1981 750.8 197.81
Dec 1980 774.22 202.34
Nov 1980 803.9 208.15
Oct 1980 750.69 192.78
Sep 1980 738.1 187.76
Aug 1980 719.57 181.52
Jul 1980 686.02 171.81
Jun 1980 630 157.78
May 1980 607.34 150.45
Apr 1980 570.7 139.99
Mar 1980 540.05 131
Feb 1980 661.39 158.03
Jan 1980 686.53 161.75
Dec 1979 650.7 151.14
Nov 1979 627.62 144.26
Oct 1979 595.13 135.53
Sep 1979 663.88 149.98
Aug 1979 673.13 150.44
Jul 1979 638.43 141.33
Jun 1979 630.88 138.13
May 1979 606.95 131.42
Apr 1979 625.91 133.82
Mar 1979 623.34 131.76
Feb 1979 585.69 122.56
Jan 1979 608.31 125.82
Dec 1978 575.46 117.98
Nov 1978 561.9 114.69
Oct 1978 546.84 111.12
Sep 1978 659.88 132.89
Aug 1978 675.49 135.01
Jul 1978 634.89 126.32
Jun 1978 609.27 120.3
May 1978 615.58 120.24
Apr 1978 595.21 115.18
Mar 1978 553.13 106.2
Feb 1978 532.7 101.47
Jan 1978 532.78 100.84
Dec 1977 558.6 105.05
Nov 1977 550.27 103.15
Oct 1977 522.77 97.52
Sep 1977 542.38 100.85
Aug 1977 540.1 100.1
Jul 1977 544.85 100.65
Jun 1977 542.54 99.73
May 1977 523.47 95.59
Apr 1977 525.48 95.48
Mar 1977 522.4 94.13
Feb 1977 528.4 94.57
Jan 1977 539.29 95.54
Dec 1976 555.35 97.88
Nov 1976 518.78 91.12
Oct 1976 515.28 90.35
Sep 1976 523.18 91.26
Aug 1976 516.03 89.7
Jul 1976 527.94 91.29
Jun 1976 525.09 90.32
May 1976 514.55 88.04
Apr 1976 530.22 90.08
Mar 1976 535.31 90.62
Feb 1976 534.14 90.26
Jan 1976 517 87.05
Dec 1975 461.82 77.62
Nov 1975 470.54 78.8
Oct 1975 463.08 76.99
Sep 1975 449.54 74.33
Aug 1975 480.48 79.01
Jul 1975 506.83 83.19
Jun 1975 536.1 87.02
May 1975 515.8 83.1
Apr 1975 490.26 78.54
Mar 1975 474.08 75.66
Feb 1975 459.15 73
Jan 1975 442.27 69.78
Dec 1974 380.6 59.82
Nov 1974 403.63 62.95
Oct 1974 421.52 65.23
Sep 1974 363.3 55.67
Aug 1974 411.91 62.37
Jul 1974 467.85 69.99
Jun 1974 511.9 75.96
May 1974 544.92 80.2
Apr 1974 597.55 86.86
Mar 1974 637.42 92.27
Feb 1974 660.08 94.35
Jan 1974 672.68 94.93
Dec 1973 658.93 92.19
Nov 1973 672.73 93.51
Oct 1973 797.8 110.17
Sep 1973 812.38 111.2
Aug 1973 767.84 104.87
Jul 1973 809.8 108.64
Jun 1973 754.41 100.98
May 1973 772.05 102.64
Apr 1973 816.82 107.85
Mar 1973 895.77 117.46
Feb 1973 926.83 120.41
Jan 1973 995.29 128.4
Dec 1972 1,039.04 133.73
Nov 1972 1,035.5 132.96
Oct 1972 1,016.71 130.24
Sep 1972 1,016.6 129.61
Aug 1972 1,021.69 129.95
Jul 1972 1,006.8 127.75
Jun 1972 1,030.07 130.08
May 1972 1,052 132.53
Apr 1972 1,044.98 131.33
Mar 1972 1,022.07 128.14
Feb 1972 1,002.47 125.38
Jan 1972 955.05 118.87
Dec 1971 916.88 114.12
Nov 1971 839.42 103.97
Oct 1971 848.54 105.1
Sep 1971 882.43 109.03
Aug 1971 877.49 108.42
Jul 1971 854.09 105.27
Jun 1971 876.77 107.8
May 1971 886.99 108.25
Apr 1971 924.76 112.3
Mar 1971 874.82 105.97
Feb 1971 838.69 101.34

Returns from Investing in the NASDAQ Composite index

How much did an investment in the NASDAQ Composite really grow each year after accounting for inflation? The following chart contains the inflation-adjusted real annual percentage returns.

Detailed Annual Returns (Adjusted vs. Nominal)

The table below shows the returns for the NASDAQ Composite index by year, both inflation-adjusted and nominal. You can sort any column by clicking on the header.

Observe how inflation erodes nominal gains, sometimes resulting in a negative real return even when the index nominally increased, as in 2005.

Year Inflation-Adjusted Return Nominal Return
2024 25.03% 28.64%
2023 38.77% 43.42%
2022 -37.16% -33.1%
2021 13.41% 21.39%
2020 41.71% 43.64%
2019 32.2% 35.23%
2018 -5.69% -3.88%
2017 25.59% 28.24%
2016 5.32% 7.5%
2015 4.96% 5.73%
2014 12.54% 13.4%
2013 36.27% 38.32%
2012 13.92% 15.91%
2011 -4.62% -1.8%
2010 15.19% 16.91%
2009 40.08% 43.89%
2008 -40.59% -40.54%
2007 5.51% 9.81%
2006 6.81% 9.52%
2005 -1.97% 1.37%
2004 5.52% 8.96%
2003 46.74% 49.5%
2002 -33.12% -31.53%
2001 -22.26% -21.05%
2000 -41.28% -39.29%
1999 80.73% 85.59%
1998 37.42% 39.63%
1997 19.6% 21.64%
1996 18.76% 22.71%
1995 36.45% 39.92%
1994 -5.72% -3.2%
1993 11.68% 14.75%
1992 12.2% 15.45%
1991 52.18% 56.84%
1990 -22.54% -17.8%
1989 13.96% 19.26%
1988 10.52% 15.41%
1987 -9.29% -5.26%
1986 6.19% 7.36%
1985 26.56% 31.36%
1984 -14.59% -11.22%
1983 15.5% 19.87%
1982 14.3% 18.67%
1981 -11.14% -3.21%
1980 18.98% 33.88%
1979 13.07% 28.11%
1978 3.02% 12.31%
1977 0.59% 7.33%
1976 20.25% 26.1%
1975 21.34% 29.76%
1974 -42.24% -35.11%
1973 -36.58% -31.06%
1972 13.32% 17.18%

Nasdaq Composite Index: Average Annualized Returns

Annualized returns show the average rate of growth per year, making it easier to compare performance across different time periods. While nominal returns indicate the headline growth, adjusting for inflation reveals the actual change in purchasing power.

This table presents both nominal and inflation-adjusted average annual returns for the NASDAQ Composite over various trailing periods ending March 31, 2026, offering a clearer view of long-term, real investment performance.

Period Avg. Annual Return (Inflation-Adjusted) Avg. Annual Return (Nominal)
Last 1 year 20.87% 24.81%
Last 3 years 17.32% 20.89%
Last 5 years 5.51% 10.26%
Last 10 years 12.33% 16.06%
Last 20 years 8.98% 11.75%
Last 30 years 7.69% 10.43%
Last 40 years 7.64% 10.67%
Last 50 years 7.67% 11.57%

Real Returns of Investing in the NASDAQ Composite

The chart and table below show the nominal and inflation-adjusted value of a hypothetical $100 investment over various long-term historical periods, ending in September 2025.

The inflation-adjusted line, in green, represents the real increase in purchasing power for the initial investment. Observe the gap between both lines, which illustrates the cumulative effect of inflation over time.

Even over just five years, inflation takes a noticeable bite out of investments. Investing $100 in the NASDAQ Composite five years ago yielded an 71.77% nominal gain, but the real return (the actual increase in buying power) was 39.09%.

As investment periods get longer, the difference between reported nominal returns and the inflation-adjusted gains usually becomes much greater due to the compounding effect of inflation over time.

Investment Period What $100 Grew To (Nominal) Total Nominal Return (%) Total Inflation-Adjusted Return (%)
Last 5 years Feb 2021 - Sep 2025 $171.77 71.77% 39.09%
Last 10 years Feb 2016 - Sep 2025 $497.15 397.15% 262.93%
Last 25 years Feb 2001 - Sep 2025 $1,053.06 953.06% 469.97%
Last 50 years Feb 1976 - Sep 2025 $25,105.26 25,005% 4,213%

About the NASDAQ Composite index

The NASDAQ Composite Index is a broad-based stock market index comprising nearly all common stocks listed on the Nasdaq stock market. Launched in 1971 with a base value of 100, it is known for its significant weighting towards companies in the technology sector, but it also includes companies from various other industries like healthcare, finance, and consumer services.

Unlike the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average, the NASDAQ Composite includes a larger number of companies, including many smaller, growth-oriented firms and international companies listed on the exchange. It is a market-capitalization weighted index. Due to its tech-heavy nature, the NASDAQ Composite is often seen as a barometer for the performance of the technology industry and the broader growth segment of the U.S. economy.

Last Close
Apr 28, 2026
24,663.8
Highest
Apr 27, 2026
24,887.1
Highest, Inflation-Adjusted
Apr 27, 2026
24,887.1
Annualized return
Since Feb 5, 1971
10.49%
Annualized return, Inflation-Adjusted
Since Feb 5, 1971
6.34%