S&P 500 vs Amazon: which won?
Amazon crushed S&P 500 since 1997 — more than 125× as much.
Amazon
Winner$954,200
954× · +27.3%/yr
S&P 500
Runner-up$7,642
7.64× · +7.4%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1997 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Amazon | S&P 500 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $954,200 | $7,642 |
| Total return | 954× | 7.64× |
| Annual return | +27.3% | +7.4% |
| Best single year | +124% (1998) | +13% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −41% (2001) | −17% (2008) |
| Deepest drop | −93.0% | −52.2% |
| The ride | Fairly steady climb | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1997 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Amazon stake is worth about $954,200 — a 954× return, or roughly +27.3% a year. The same money in S&P 500 grew to about $7,642 (7.64×). Amazon wins this window decisively: more than 125× as much, or about $946,558 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Amazon's path was a fairly steady climb, while S&P 500 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Amazon's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Amazon's ugliest calendar year was −41% (2001) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −93.0%, recovered by 2007. S&P 500 bottomed at −17% (2008) with a deepest drop of −52.2%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 0.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was S&P 500 or Amazon a better investment since 1997?
- Over 1997–2026, Amazon was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $954,200 (954×), versus about $7,642 (7.64×) for S&P 500 — more than 125× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Amazon be worth versus S&P 500?
- Starting at the end of 1997, $1,000 in Amazon would be worth about $954,200 today, and in S&P 500 about $7,642 — a difference of roughly $946,558 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, S&P 500 or Amazon?
- Amazon was the wilder ride — fairly steady climb — with a deepest fall of −93.0%, while S&P 500 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −52.2%).
- Did Amazon always beat S&P 500?
- No. This compares a single start year (1997, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.