Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
USO vs VO: how they differ
USO is a commodity fund and VO an equity index fund, and over the year USO returned more, +112.2% against +12.0%.
United States Oil Fund, LP and Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund.
| USO United States Oil Fund, LP | VO Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | United | Vanguard |
| What it is | Oil | Mid-Cap |
| Total return, 1 year | +112.2% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +94.7 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.03% |
| Holdings | not filed | 282 |
USO in plain words
USO is a commodity fund tracking the Oil. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +112.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. It sat 57.1% below its high of Apr 8, 2011 on Sep 11, 2026.
VO in plain words
VO is an index equity fund tracking the Mid-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 91% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 282 positions, with the top ten at 9.6%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, USO or VO?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, USO returned +112.2% and VO returned +12.0%, so USO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Other comparisons
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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, USO against VO, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/USO-VO Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources