 Details | 2024 | Ariarne TITMUS | | 3:57.49 | Summer MCINTOSH | | 3:58.37 | Katie LEDECKY | | 4:00.86 | 27 Jul | |
| Details | 2021 | Ariarne TITMUS | | 3:56.69 | Katie LEDECKY | | 3:57.36 | LI Bingjie | | 4:01.08 | 25–26 Jul | |
| Details | 2016 | Katie LEDECKY | | 3:56.46 | Jazmin CARLIN | | 4:01.23 | Leah SMITH | | 4:01.92 | 16 Aug | |
| Details | 2012 | Camille MUFFAT | | 4:01.45 | Allison SCHMITT | | 4:01.77 | Rebecca ADLINGTON | | 4:03.01 | 29 Jul | |
| Details | 2008 | Rebecca ADLINGTON | | 4:03.22 | Katie HOFF | | 4:03.29 | Joanne JACKSON | | 4:03.52 | | |
| Details | 2004 | Laure MANAUDOU | | 4:05.34 | Otylia JĘDRZEJCZAK | | 4:05.84 | Kaitlin SANDENO | | 4:06.19 | | |
| Details | 2000 | Brooke BENNETT | | 4:05.80 | Diana MUNZ | | 4:07.07 | Claudia POLL | | 4:07.83 | 17 Sep | |
| Details | 1996 | Michelle SMITH | | 4:07.25 | Dagmar HASE | | 4:08.30 | Kirsten VLIEGHUIS | | 4:08.70 | 22 Jul | |
| Details | 1992 | Dagmar HASE | | 4:07.18 | Janet EVANS | | 4:07.37 | Hayley LEWIS | | 4:11.22 | 28 Jul | |
| Details | 1988 | Janet EVANS | | 4:03.85 | Heike FRIEDRICH | | 4:05.94 | Anke MÖHRING | | 4:06.62 | 22 Sep | |
| Details | 1984 | Tiffany COHEN | | 4:07.10 | Sarah HARDCASTLE | | 4:10.27 | June CROFT | | 4:11.49 | 31 Jul | |
| Details | 1980 | Ines DIERS | | 4:08.76 | Petra SCHNEIDER | | 4:09.16 | Carmela SCHMIDT | | 4:10.86 | 22 Jul | |
| Details | 1976 | Petra THUMER | | 4:09.89 | Shirley BABASHOFF | | 4:10.46 | Shannon SMITH | | 4:14.60 | 20 Jul | |
| Details | 1972 | Shane GOULD | | 4:19.00 | Novella CALLIGARIS | | 4:22.44 | Gudrun WEGNER | | 4:23.11 | 30 Aug | |
| Details | 1968 | Debbie MEYER | | 4:31.80 | Linda GUSTAVSON | | 4:35.5 | Karen MORAS | | 4:37.0 | 20 Oct | |
| Details | 1964 | Virginia DUENKEL | | 4:43.30 | Marilyn RAMENOFSKY | | 4:44.6 | Terri STICKLES | | 4:47.2 | 18 Oct | |
| Details | 1960 | Christine VON SALTZA | | 4:50.50 | Jane CEDERQVIST | | 4:53.9 | Tineke LAGERBERG | | 4:56.9 | 1 Sep | |
| Details | 1956 | Lorraine CRAPP | | 4:54.60 | Dawn FRASER | | 5:02.5 | Sylvia RUUSKA | | 5:07.1 | 7 Dec | |
| Details | 1952 | Valéria GYENGE | | 5:12.10 | Éva NOVÁK | | 5:13.7 | Evelyn KAWAMOTO | | 5:14.6 | 2 Aug | |
| Details | 1948 | Ann CURTIS | | 5:17.80 | Karen Margrethe HARUP | | 5:21.2 | Catherine GIBSON | | 5:22.5 | 7 Aug | |
| Details | 1936 | Hendrika MASTENBROEK | | 5:26.40 | Ragnhild HVEGER | | 5:27.5 | Lenore WINGARD | | 5:29.0 | 15 Aug | |
| Details | 1932 | Helene MADISON | | 5:28.50 | Lenore KIGHT | | 5:28.6 | Jenny MAAKAL | | 5:47.3 | 13 Aug | |
| Details | 1928 | Martha NORELIUS | | 5:42.80 | Marie BRAUN | | 5:57.8 | Josephine MCKIM | | 6:00.2 | 6 Aug | |
| Details | 1924 | Martha NORELIUS | | 6:02.20 | Helen WAINWRIGHT | | 6:03.8 | Gertrude EDERLE | | 6:04.8 | 15 Jul | |
