Historic Data
The data for S&P 500 is taken from . The payout rate has gradually declined from 90% of operating earnings in 1940s to about 30% in recent years.
| Decade | Price % | Dividend | Total | Dividends as % | Average |
| Change | Contribution | Return | of Total Return | Payout | |
| 1930s | -41.90% | 56.00% | 14.10% | N/A | 90.10% |
| 1940s | 34.8 | 100.3 | 135.1 | 74.20% | 59.4 |
| 1950s | 256.7 | 180 | 436.7 | 41.2 | 54.6 |
| 1960s | 53.7 | 54.2 | 107.9 | 50.2 | 56 |
| 1970s | 17.2 | 59.1 | 76.3 | 77.5 | 45.5 |
| 1980s | 227.4 | 143.1 | 370.5 | 38.6 | 48.6 |
| 1990s | 315.7 | 95.5 | 411.2 | 23.2 | 47.6 |
| 2000s | -15 | 8.6 | -6.4 | N/A | 32.3 |
| Average | 106.10% | 87.10% | 193.20% | 50.80% | 54.30% |
For smaller growth companies, the average payout ratio can be as low as 10%.
Read more about this topic: Dividend Payout Ratio
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