CAGR Calculator
Calculate compound annual growth rate with inflation adjustments, interactive trajectory charts, reverse goal mode, and benchmarks. Your work stays on this device whenever possible.
How to use CAGR Calculator
- Select 'Find CAGR (Given Start & End Values)' in 'Calculation Mode', or 'Project Future Value' to grow a balance at a chosen rate.
- Enter 'Initial Investment / Start Value ($)' and 'Ending Value / Target Goal ($)'; in projection mode the second box holds the growth rate in percent.
- Set 'Duration (Years)' and 'Annual Inflation (%)' to see the purchasing-power view.
- Choose a preset in 'Benchmark Comparison', or 'No Benchmark' to hide that comparison.
- Read the annual growth badge, the year-by-year table and the chart, then export with 'Copy Investment Report' or 'Download Growth Schedule (CSV)'.
Worked example
Start value 10,000, ending value 18,000, duration 5 years, inflation 3%. Nominal CAGR = (18,000 ÷ 10,000)^(1/5) − 1 = 1.8^0.2 − 1 ≈ 12.47%. Real CAGR = 1.1247 ÷ 1.03 − 1 ≈ 9.20%. The absolute return is (18,000 − 10,000) ÷ 10,000 = 80%, a gain of 8,000.
When to use this tool
- Working out the yearly rate behind a fund that grew from 10,000 to 18,000 over five years.
- Checking what average return a savings goal needs to reach a target on time.
Important limitations
CAGR calculates the smoothed annual compound growth rate between two fixed timepoints. It assumes steady growth and does not reflect intermediate intra-year volatility, dividend timing, or unmodeled intermittent capital deposits.
Comparing alternatives
Other options for cagr calculator include Investopedia CAGR Calculator, Omni CAGR Calculator, TradeBrain CAGR, Calculator.net CAGR.
ToolkitPoint is not affiliated with those services.
Frequently asked questions
What formula does CAGR use?
CAGR = (ending ÷ starting)^(1 ÷ years) − 1. It smooths uneven yearly returns into one constant rate, so it says nothing about the ups and downs in between.
Why are 'Find CAGR' and 'Reverse CAGR' the same?
Both modes run the same power formula on start, end and years. The reverse label simply reads the end box as a goal you want to reach.
How is the real return computed?
Real CAGR = (1 + nominal) ÷ (1 + inflation) − 1, then the ending value is restated in today's purchasing power. It uses one flat inflation rate for every year.
What are the benchmark rates?
They are fixed long-run averages typed into the page, not live market data. Use them as rough context for your own result, and never treat them as a forecast of what any asset will return next year.
What are the input limits?
Start and end values must be at least 1, and duration at least 0.1 years. A total loss to zero cannot be entered, so the extreme -100 percent case is unavailable.