Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IWM vs VBK: how they differ
IWM and VBK hold 24% of their weight in the same names, and IWM returned more over the year.
iShares Russell 2000 ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and VBK hold 24% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IWM | VBK |
|---|---|---|
| Hut 8 Corp. | 0.37% | 0.33% |
| Cytokinetics, Inc. | 0.35% | 0.33% |
| BrightSpring Health Services, Inc. | 0.35% | 0.32% |
| MaxLinear, Inc. | 0.34% | 0.31% |
| Argan, Inc. | 0.34% | 0.30% |
| Krystal Biotech, Inc. | 0.30% | 0.29% |
| CareTrust REIT, Inc. | 0.28% | 0.27% |
| Riot Platforms, Inc. | 0.30% | 0.26% |
| Cipher Digital, Inc. | 0.26% | 0.27% |
| ESCO Technologies, Inc. | 0.29% | 0.26% |
| StoneX Group, Inc. | 0.27% | 0.24% |
| Vaxcyte, Inc. | 0.24% | 0.24% |
| Only in IWM | Only in VBK |
|---|---|
| Moog, Inc. 0.38% | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 1.27% |
| Viasat, Inc. 0.35% | REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 1.07% |
| UMB Financial Corp. 0.33% | Astera Labs Inc 1.05% |
| JFrog Ltd. 0.31% | Natera Inc 1.04% |
| Old National Bancorp 0.28% | Twilio Inc 0.88% |
| FirstCash Holdings, Inc. 0.28% | Casey's General Stores Inc 0.83% |
| Compass, Inc. 0.28% | Carpenter Technology Corp 0.82% |
| Alkermes plc 0.27% | Curtiss-Wright Corp 0.79% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026.
| IWM iShares Russell 2000 ETF | VBK Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | Russell 2000 | Small-Cap Growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.2% | +13.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +3.7 pts | −3.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.05% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 10.2% |
| Holdings | 2014 | 545 |
IWM in plain words
IWM is an index equity fund tracking the Russell 2000. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +21.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2014 positions, with the top ten at 3.4%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
VBK in plain words
VBK is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 10% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 545 positions, with the top ten at 9.3%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Aug 17, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWM or VBK?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +21.2% and VBK returned +13.8%, so IWM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or VBK?
- IWM charges 0.19% a year and VBK charges 0.05%, so VBK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IWM and VBK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IWM and 10% of VBK by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 24% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, IWM against VBK, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IWM-VBK Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources