Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market value. It is a network where developers build apps, and ETH is the token used to pay for activity on that network.
This article gathers the main Ethereum statistics from several recent sources. It covers price, returns, risk, market share, network use, supply, upgrades and forecasts.
Prices moved from day to day, so each figure is tied to its source and date. Nothing here is financial advice.
Ethereum Price Today: The Latest Numbers
At 9:50 a.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2026, one ETH traded at $2,705.22. That was $11.51 higher than the day before and about $1,442.47 lower than a year earlier.
ETH gained 11.90% over the past month but lost 34.78% over the past year. The table shows each price point and the change to the current price.
| Time point | ETH price | Change to Sept. 30 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year ago | $4,147.69 | -34.78% |
| 1 month ago | $2,417.47 | +11.90% |
| Sept. 29, 2026 | $2,693.71 | +0.43% |
| Sept. 30, 2026 | $2,705.22 | Current |
Source: Current price of Ethereum for Sept. 30, 2026.
Other sources show different prices because they were taken at different times. CoinStats listed $2,494.27 on October 1, 2026, with a 24-hour gain of 2.48% and a 7-day drop of 7.56%.
At that price, ETH sat 49.6% below its all-time high of $4,946.05. A forecasting site listed $2,496.15 on October 9, 2026, with a 7-day drop of 9.42%.
The gaps show why a time stamp matters when you read any crypto price.
| Source | Date | ETH price |
|---|---|---|
| Personal finance price report | Sept. 30, 2026 | $2,705.22 |
| CoinStats AI | Oct. 1, 2026 | $2,494.27 |
| Price prediction site | Oct. 9, 2026 | $2,496.15 |
Several factors move the ETH price. The September 30 report lists investor sentiment, network activity, economic conditions, new rules and competition from platforms such as Solana and Avalanche.
In the short term, hype or panic often drives prices more than any other factor.
Ethereum Price History by Year
Ethereum launched on July 30, 2015. The 2014 crowdsale sold ETH at about $0.311 and raised $18.3 million in Bitcoin. ETH listed on Kraken on August 7, 2015 at $2.77 and fell to a low of $0.42 that October.
ETH ended 2015 at $0.93. By the end of 2017 it had reached about $757, a gain of roughly 9,000% for that year during the boom in token sales.
The next year went the other way. ETH fell about 85% from its peak and closed 2018 near $130.
| Year | Year-end price | What shaped the year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $0.93 | Network launched in July |
| 2016 | $8 | The DAO hack split the chain |
| 2017 | $757 | Token sale boom |
| 2018 | $130 | Token sale bubble burst |
| 2019 | $130 | Slow year, peak near $338 in June |
| 2020 | $730 | DeFi growth, Beacon Chain launch |
| 2021 | $3,680 | NFT growth, EIP-1559, high of $4,815 |
| 2022 | $1,200 | Market collapses, The Merge |
| 2023 | $2,300 | Staking withdrawals, Layer 2 growth |
| 2024 | $3,490 | Spot ETFs approved, trailed Bitcoin |
Source: Ethereum price history section, Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction. Prices are approximate.
The second all-time high came in August 2025. Sources list it between about $4,897 and $4,946. ETH then fell through the end of 2025 and into 2026.
One source points to recession fears and sales of ETH by co-founder Vitalik Buterin as factors in the early 2026 drop. 21shares lists a price of $1,570 on June 30, 2026, which shows how far prices fell before the recent rebound.
One source says ETH’s strongest gains have usually come in the 12 to 18 months after a Bitcoin halving.
Ethereum Investment Returns
The Ethereum index in euros had a compound annual growth rate of 23.14% from August 2017 to August 2026. This is the yearly rate that would produce the same total gain if growth were steady. Real years were far from steady.
The index was positive in 4 of the 8 full years between 2018 and 2025. The best years were 2021 at 436.3%, 2020 at 423.5% and 2023 at 85.9%.
| Rank | Best years | Return | Worst years | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 | +436.3% | 2018 | -81.5% |
| 2 | 2020 | +423.5% | 2022 | -65.5% |
| 3 | 2023 | +85.9% | 2025 | -21.5% |
Source: Historical performance of the Ethereum index (euro terms).
Recent returns are negative. The index returned -43.5% over the last year and is down 15.90% so far in 2026.
Over five years it lost 27.0% in total, which is about 6.1% per year. Another source says ETH is up more than 60,000% from its 2014 sale price and about 46% from 2020 to 2025.
The start date changes the result a great deal.
| Period | Average yearly return | Total return |
|---|---|---|
| Last year | -43.5% | -43.5% |
| Last 5 years | -6.1% | -27.0% |
| 2026 so far | Not listed | -15.90% |
Volatility, Drawdowns and Risk
Standard deviation shows how widely returns swing around the average. The Ethereum index had a standard deviation of 94.65%, which means very wide swings.
The Sharpe ratio was 0.64. This ratio compares return with risk, and a higher number means more return for each unit of risk.
A drawdown is a period when value sits below a previous peak. The deepest one ran from January 2018 to January 2021, lasted 3 years and hit a low of -89.6%.
The longest drawdown began in November 2021. It has lasted 4 years and 9 months, with a low of -75.0% so far.
Monthly results were mixed. The index rose in 56 of 108 months (52%) between 2017 and 2026.
| Risk measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Compound annual growth rate | 23.14% |
| Standard deviation | 94.65% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.64 |
| Deepest drawdown | -89.6% (Jan. 2018 to Jan. 2021) |
| Longest drawdown | 4 years 9 months, low of -75.0% |
| Positive months | 56 of 108 (52%) |
The source also describes value at risk, which estimates the most an investor could lose in a year with 95% confidence. It warns that the method assumes normal returns, and markets often do not follow that pattern. It also says nothing about losses beyond the 95% level.
Ethereum Market Cap and Dominance
ETH ranks second among cryptocurrencies. A September 30 report put its market cap near $233 billion, behind Bitcoin at about $1.33 trillion and ahead of Tether at $183 billion.
CoinStats listed $304.6 billion to $327.7 billion in early October. With 122,092,941 ETH in circulation, a price of $2,705.22 would imply about $330 billion.
The $233 billion figure may come from an earlier date, so check a live tracker for market cap.
| Coin | Price on Sept. 30, 2026 | Market cap listed |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | $84,553.16 | About $1.33 trillion |
| Ethereum | $2,705.22 | About $233 billion |
| Tether (USDT) | $1 | $183 billion |
| XRP | $1.52 | Not listed |
Source: Current price of Ethereum for Sept. 30, 2026.
Bitcoin’s share of the market rose from about 39% to as high as 65% over three years. ETH’s share fell from about 18% to near 9% in the same period.
More recently, ETH recovered to 14% and Bitcoin eased to about 57%. Analyst William Mougayar projects ETH could reach about 25% in 2026, with Bitcoin at 45% to 50%. That is one view and not a measured result.
Ethereum was built as a computing platform and not only as money. A common comparison calls Bitcoin digital gold and ETH digital oil, the fuel that keeps apps and smart contracts running.
Ethereum Network Revenue and Activity
Ethereum’s gross revenue fell 69.3%, from $414 million in the first half of 2025 to $127 million in the first half of 2026. The data comes from DeFiLlama, Blockworks and TokenTerminal as of June 30, 2026.
All four revenue streams dropped: base fees, Layer 2 fees, priority fees and maximum extractable value (MEV). Weak trading and DeFi activity lowered demand for block space.
A similar fall of 64% happened between the first halves of 2022 and 2023. Later upgrades, EIP-4844 and EIP-7691, also cut fees across the ecosystem, which lowers revenue.
Use of the network kept growing. Monthly active addresses rose 15% year over year to 8.4 million. Smart contracts deployed rose 74% to more than 1.3 million, though spam may account for part of that count.
The writer calls the drop less alarming than it first appears because it follows the pattern of the last bear market.
| Metric | Value | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue, H1 2026 | $127 million | -69.3% |
| Gross revenue, H1 2025 | $414 million | Base period |
| Monthly active addresses | 8.4 million | +15% |
| Smart contracts deployed | Over 1.3 million | +74% |
Source: Ethereum’s H1 2026 earnings. Data as of June 30, 2026.
Stablecoins, Tokenized Assets and Locked Value
Stablecoins on Ethereum grew 22% year over year to about $156 billion by June 2026. Roughly half of all global stablecoin supply sits on the network.
Ethereum also holds about $16 billion, or 47%, of the $34 billion in tokenized real-world assets onchain. These include stocks, bonds and commodities.
Total value locked (TVL) tracks funds deposited in blockchain apps. Ethereum holds about $37 billion of the $70 billion total, a 54% share, while making up 32% of the market cap outside bitcoin and stablecoins.
The report links this gap to Ethereum’s long track record. It also names rivals: Hyperliquid and Solana in trading, and Tron and Solana in stablecoins.
| Metric | Ethereum | Total | Ethereum share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total value locked | $37 billion | $70 billion | 54% |
| Tokenized real-world assets | $16 billion | $34 billion | 47% |
| Stablecoin supply | $156 billion | Not listed | About 50% |
| Market cap outside bitcoin and stablecoins | Not listed | Not listed | 32% |
Source: Ethereum’s H1 2026 earnings. Data as of June 30, 2026.
CoinStats adds that BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized fund launched on Ethereum. It also says Visa includes Ethereum in its stablecoin settlement program.
Ethereum Supply, Staking and Fees
There is no fixed maximum supply of ETH. CoinStats reports 122,092,941 ETH in circulation, and new coins are issued as rewards to validators.
Since EIP-1559 in August 2021, the base fee on each transaction is burned. When activity is high, more ETH can be burned than issued. When activity is low, supply grows.
21shares says ETH has become net inflationary as more activity moves to Layer 2 networks. Its annual inflation is 0.86%, compared with 1.7% for gold.
The Merge on September 15, 2022 moved Ethereum from mining to staking. Energy use fell by about 99.95%.
A validator normally deposits 32 ETH. Pectra, in May 2025, raised the maximum effective balance to 2,048 ETH.
Validators work in 12-second slots, and a checkpoint is final when at least two-thirds of staked ETH supports it. Validators who break the rules can lose staked ETH through slashing.
Staking lets holders lock ETH to help verify transactions and earn rewards, much like interest. CoinStats lists concentration among large staking providers and custodians as a trade-off.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Circulating supply | 122,092,941 ETH |
| Maximum supply | None fixed |
| Annual inflation | 0.86% |
| Standard validator deposit | 32 ETH |
| Maximum validator balance | 2,048 ETH |
| Slot length | 12 seconds |
| Energy use cut by The Merge | About 99.95% |
Sources: CoinStats AI; Ethereum roadmap; Ethereum’s H1 2026 earnings.
Ethereum Upgrade Timeline and Roadmap
Ethereum changes through planned upgrades. Ideas begin as public discussions, then become Ethereum Improvement Proposals that anyone can comment on.
Dencun in March 2024 added blob transactions, which lower the cost of data for Layer 2 networks. Pectra and Fusaka expanded that capacity.
| Upgrade | Date | Main changes |
|---|---|---|
| The Merge | Sept. 15, 2022 | Moved to proof of stake |
| Shapella | Apr. 12, 2023 | Allowed staking withdrawals |
| Dencun | Mar. 13, 2024 | Added blob transactions for cheaper rollups |
| Pectra | May 7, 2025 | Smart contract features for wallets, 2,048 ETH validators, blob target of 6 and maximum of 9 |
| Fusaka | Dec. 3, 2025 | PeerDAS, default gas limit of 60 million, 16.7 million gas cap per transaction |
| Glamsterdam | Q4 2026 (planned) | Proposer-builder separation, block-level access lists |
| Hegota | 2027 (planned) | Inclusion lists, frame transactions |
Source: Ethereum roadmap. The scope of planned upgrades is not final.
The two planned upgrades aim at faster syncing, parallel processing and stronger resistance to transaction censorship. CoinStats said Glamsterdam was in development for a possible Q4 2026 release.
Ethereum Price Forecast Statistics
Forecasts are estimates and often miss. The ranges below come from one forecasting site and several analysts, and they differ widely.
The forecasting site listed a 2026 range of $2,315.62 to $2,715.56, with an average of $2,537.09. Its technical indicators showed 41% bullish and 59% bearish sentiment, and its Fear & Greed score was 64.
| Year | Minimum | Average | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $2,315.62 | $2,537.09 | $2,715.56 |
| 2028 | $3,182.22 | $4,648.61 | $5,972.08 |
| 2030 | $3,203.10 | $4,496.74 | $5,489.90 |
| 2035 | $6,253.44 | $6,635.97 | $6,942.25 |
| 2040 | $7,687.03 | $8,507.45 | $9,217.53 |
| 2050 | $10,918.59 | $11,939.00 | $12,950.74 |
Source: Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction 2026 to 2050. The source gives two different 2027 ranges, so that year is left out.
Analyst views for 2026 vary. Benzinga’s data places ETH between $3,000 and $6,000 in bullish conditions, and InvestingHaven suggests $2,500 to $5,500. Citi cited $4,500 and Standard Chartered cited $7,500.
For 2030, Traders Union offers $5,161 to $5,727, Benzinga spans $1,696 to $6,319, and Finder projects $10,000 or more. Cryptopolitan projects $14,532 to $18,135.
One source says $15,000 is possible but not the base case. It would likely need sustained network growth, a dominant share of smart contracts and steady institutional inflows.
| Source | Year | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| InvestingHaven | 2026 | $2,500 to $5,500 |
| Benzinga | 2026 | $3,000 to $6,000 (bullish) |
| Citi | 2026 | $4,500 |
| Standard Chartered | 2026 | $7,500 |
| Benzinga | 2030 | $1,696 to $6,319 |
| Traders Union | 2030 | $5,161 to $5,727 |
| Finder | 2030 | $10,000 or more |
| Cryptopolitan | 2030 | $14,532 to $18,135 |
21shares uses a different method. It says 50% of the $723 billion value of the Apple and Google app stores would imply about $2,995 per ETH, 91% above the June 30, 2026 price of $1,570. The firm calls this a framework for long-term potential and not a price target.
Key Takeaways
The numbers point to a market with large swings and a growing network.
Price is down 34.78% in a year, and the index has been in a drawdown since November 2021. Revenue fell 69.3% in the first half of 2026.
- ETH traded at $2,705.22 on Sept. 30, 2026, versus an all-time high near $4,946.
- The Ethereum index returned a 23.14% yearly rate over nine years, with a standard deviation of 94.65%.
- Ethereum holds 54% of total value locked and about half of stablecoin supply.
- Active addresses rose 15% and smart contract deployments rose 74% in the year to June 2026.
- Annual inflation is 0.86%, compared with 1.7% for gold.
- Forecasts range from under $2,000 to above $18,000 for 2030, so they should be read as estimates.
Sources list four common ways to invest: a crypto exchange, an Ethereum ETF, Ethereum-related stocks and a crypto IRA. Each carries different costs and risks.
Ethereum faces competition from other blockchains, DeFi security exploits and changing rules. Past results do not predict future returns, and ETH can lose value quickly.
Sources
- Current price of Ethereum for Sept. 30, 2026 (Joseph Hostetler)
- Historical performance of the Ethereum index, August 2017 to August 2026
- Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction 2026, 2027, 2028 to 2040 (Steve Taylor)
- Ethereum’s H1 2026 earnings: a bear market dip in a growing network (Matt Mena, 21shares)
- What Is Ethereum (ETH)? Fundamentals Explained (October 2026) (CoinStats AI)
- Ethereum roadmap
- What will ETH’s % dominance be in 2026 vs. BTC vs. ALTs? (William Mougayar)
