How the Dow Jones all-time high compares to stock market leaps throughout history

How often the Dow doubled in the past four decades

The Dow Jones Industrial average has doubled every 8.1 years, or 2,969 days, since 1983. Before that, it took more than 24 years for the index to double from 625 in the spring of 1959 to September 1983.

Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them.

That means if you had invested in a fund in 1983 that mirrored the Dow Jones industrial average, $1,000 would now be $32,000, or $10,500 in 1983 dollars. And that doesn’t include reinvested dividends.

The list of 30 companies that make up the Dow has evolved with the economy over the past 40 years, as it has throughout its 139-year history. Consider the handful of technology stocks such as Amazon and Apple that have replaced names like Eastman Kodak and Sears Roebuck.

What 30 stocks are in the Dow Jones industrial average

Here’s a look at each period where the Dow Jones industrial average doubled since the index topped 1250 for the first time in September 1983.