S&P 500 Dividend Yield
S&P 500 Dividend Yield — 150-Year Historical Chart
1.19%
▼ 11.38% YoYSep 2025
All-Time High
331.08%
All-Time Low
1.19%
Data Since
1871
Source: Robert Shiller / Yale University (shillerdata.com)Shaded = NBER recessions
The trailing 12-month dividend yield of the S&P 500. From Robert Shiller's dataset. In the late 1800s yields regularly exceeded 5%; the shift toward buybacks and growth investing drove yields below 2% by the late 1990s. A low yield often signals an expensive market; a high yield suggests value or market stress.