Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VGSH vs VUSB: how they differ
VGSH and VUSB hold 1% of their weight in the same names, and VUSB returned more over the year.
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund and Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VGSH and VUSB hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VGSH | VUSB |
|---|---|---|
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 1.36% | 0.68% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond | 0.81% | 0.53% |
| Only in VGSH | Only in VUSB |
|---|---|
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.26% | United States Treasury Bill 4.24% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.41% | PNC Financial Services Group Inc/The 0.59% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.32% | Regions Bank/Birmingham AL 0.52% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.31% | US Bancorp 0.51% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.30% | Charles Schwab Corp/The 0.50% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27% | Truist Bank 0.45% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27% | Westlake Flooring Master Trust 0.44% |
| United States Treasury Note/Bond 1.27% | DLLAD 2024-1 LLC 0.44% |
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 and May 31, 2026.
| VGSH Vanguard Short-Term Treasury Index Fund | VUSB Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | Vanguard |
| What it is | Short-Term Treasury | Ultra-Short Bond |
| Total return, 1 year | +1.8% | +3.7% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −15.7 pts | −13.8 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.10% |
| Holdings | 91 | 1281 |
VGSH in plain words
VGSH is a bond fund tracking the Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +1.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
VUSB in plain words
VUSB is a cash and treasury bills tracking the Ultra-Short Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VGSH or VUSB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VGSH returned +1.8% and VUSB returned +3.7%, so VUSB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VGSH or VUSB?
- VGSH charges 0.03% a year and VUSB charges 0.10%, so VGSH is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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, VGSH against VUSB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VGSH-VUSB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources