diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 84b2356fe1a..856b2f3a845 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ jobs:
       py38: 3.8
       py39: 3.9
       pypy3: pypy3
+      RUN_MATRIX_COMBINATION: ${{ matrix.python-version }}-${{ matrix.package }}-${{ matrix.os }}
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false  # ensures the entire test matrix is run, even if one permutation fails
@@ -30,15 +31,6 @@ jobs:
         package: ["instrumentation", "core", "exporter"]
         os: [ ubuntu-latest ]
         include:
-          - python-version: py39
-            package: "tracecontext"
-            os: ubuntu-latest
-          - python-version: py39
-            package: "mypy"
-            os: ubuntu-latest
-          - python-version: py39
-            package: "mypyinstalled"
-            os: ubuntu-latest
           # py35-instrumentation segfaults on 18.04 so we instead run on 20.04
           - python-version: py35
             package: instrumentation
@@ -67,14 +59,38 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v2
         with:
           path: .tox
-          key: tox-cache-${{ matrix.python-version }}-${{ matrix.package }}-${{ matrix.os }}-${{ hashFiles('tox.ini', 'dev-requirements.txt') }}-core
+          key: tox-cache-${{ env.RUN_MATRIX_COMBINATION }}-${{ hashFiles('tox.ini', 'dev-requirements.txt') }}-core
       - name: run tox
-        run: tox -f ${{ matrix.python-version }}-${{ matrix.package }}
+        run: tox -f ${{ matrix.python-version }}-${{ matrix.package }} -- --benchmark-json=${{ env.RUN_MATRIX_COMBINATION }}-benchmark.json
+      - name: Find and merge benchmarks
+        # TODO: Add at least one benchmark to every package type to remove this
+        if: matrix.package == 'core'
+        run: >-
+          jq -s '.[0].benchmarks = ([.[].benchmarks] | add)
+          | if .[0].benchmarks == null then null else .[0] end'
+          opentelemetry-*/tests/*${{ matrix.package }}*-benchmark.json > output.json
+      - name: Report on benchmark results
+        # TODO: Add at least one benchmark to every package type to remove this
+        if: matrix.package == 'core'
+        uses: rhysd/github-action-benchmark@v1
+        with:
+          name: OpenTelemetry Python Benchmarks - Python ${{ env[matrix.python-version ]}} - ${{ matrix.package-group }}
+          tool: pytest
+          output-file-path: output.json
+          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          # Alert with a commit comment on possible performance regression
+          alert-threshold: 200%
+          comment-always: true
+          fail-on-alert: true
+          # Make a commit on `gh-pages` with benchmarks from previous step
+          auto-push: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' }}
+          gh-pages-branch: master
+          benchmark-data-dir-path: benchmarks
   misc:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        tox-environment: [ "docker-tests", "lint", "docs" ]
+        tox-environment: [ "docker-tests", "lint", "docs", "mypy", "mypyinstalled", "tracecontext" ]
     name: ${{ matrix.tox-environment }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 4981eb5547f..f04808d16a3 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -66,6 +66,31 @@ See
 [`tox.ini`](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/blob/master/tox.ini)
 for more detail on available tox commands.
 
+### Benchmarks
+
+Performance progression of benchmarks for packages distributed by OpenTelemetry Python can be viewed as a [graph of throughput vs commit history](https://opentelemetry-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/benchmarks/index.html). From this page, you can download a JSON file with the performance results.
+
+Running the `tox` tests also runs the performance tests if any are available. Benchmarking tests are done with `pytest-benchmark` and they output a table with results to the console.
+
+To write benchmarks, simply use the [pytest benchmark fixture](https://pytest-benchmark.readthedocs.io/en/latest/usage.html#usage) like the following:
+
+```python
+def test_simple_start_span(benchmark):
+    def benchmark_start_as_current_span(span_name, attribute_num):
+        span = tracer.start_span(
+            span_name,
+            attributes={"count": attribute_num},
+        )
+        span.end()
+
+    benchmark(benchmark_start_as_current_span, "benchmarkedSpan", 42)
+```
+
+Make sure the test file is under the `tests/performance/benchmarks/` folder of
+the package it is benchmarking and further has a path that corresponds to the
+file in the package it is testing. Make sure that the file name begins with
+`test_benchmark_`. (e.g. `opentelemetry-sdk/tests/performance/benchmarks/trace/propagation/test_benchmark_b3_format.py`)
+
 ## Pull Requests
 
 ### How to Send Pull Requests
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/performance/benchmarks/trace/test_benchmark_trace.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/performance/benchmarks/trace/test_benchmark_trace.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a407a341f45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/performance/benchmarks/trace/test_benchmark_trace.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+import opentelemetry.sdk.trace as trace
+from opentelemetry.sdk.resources import Resource
+from opentelemetry.sdk.trace import sampling
+
+tracer = trace.TracerProvider(
+    sampler=sampling.DEFAULT_ON,
+    resource=Resource(
+        {
+            "service.name": "A123456789",
+            "service.version": "1.34567890",
+            "service.instance.id": "123ab456-a123-12ab-12ab-12340a1abc12",
+        }
+    ),
+).get_tracer("sdk_tracer_provider")
+
+
+def test_simple_start_span(benchmark):
+    def benchmark_start_as_current_span():
+        span = tracer.start_span(
+            "benchmarkedSpan",
+            attributes={"long.attribute": -10000000001000000000},
+        )
+        span.add_event("benchmarkEvent")
+        span.end()
+
+    benchmark(benchmark_start_as_current_span)
+
+
+def test_simple_start_as_current_span(benchmark):
+    def benchmark_start_as_current_span():
+        with tracer.start_as_current_span(
+            "benchmarkedSpan",
+            attributes={"long.attribute": -10000000001000000000},
+        ) as span:
+            span.add_event("benchmarkEvent")
+
+    benchmark(benchmark_start_as_current_span)
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 4dd1bc6b804..c5044993b81 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ envlist =
     pypy3-test-core-opentracing-shim
 
     lint
-    py39-tracecontext
-    py39-{mypy,mypyinstalled}
+    tracecontext
+    mypy,mypyinstalled
     docs
     docker-tests
 
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ envlist =
 deps =
   -c dev-requirements.txt
   test: pytest
+  test: pytest-benchmark
   coverage: pytest
   coverage: pytest-cov
   mypy,mypyinstalled: mypy
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@ changedir = docs
 commands =
   sphinx-build -E -a -W -b html -T . _build/html
 
-[testenv:py39-tracecontext]
+[testenv:tracecontext]
 basepython: python3.9
 deps =
   # needed for tracecontext