The S&P 500's "Average" Year Almost Never Happens. Here's How Often It Actually Lands Near 10%.

While the S&P 500 has averaged 10.6% annual returns from 1957-2025, the typical year rarely falls near this average. Only 4 of 69 years returned between 8-12%, while 39 years exceeded 12% and 26 fell below 8%. The 10% average is best understood as a long-term expectation over 20-30 year periods rather than any single year, as large losses require disproportionately large gains to recover.