Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VNQ vs VPU: how they differ
VNQ and VPU hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VNQ returned more over the year.
Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VNQ and VPU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VNQ | Only in VPU |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Real Estate II Index Fund 14.67% | NextEra Energy Inc 11.84% |
| Welltower Inc 7.86% | Southern Co/The 6.70% |
| Prologis Inc 7.02% | Duke Energy Corp 6.31% |
| Equinix Inc 5.66% | Constellation Energy Corp 5.86% |
| American Tower Corp 4.55% | American Electric Power Co Inc 4.47% |
| Digital Realty Trust Inc 3.67% | Sempra 3.85% |
| Simon Property Group Inc 3.54% | Dominion Energy Inc 3.78% |
| Realty Income Corp 3.12% | Vistra Corp 3.59% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| VNQ Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund | VPU Vanguard Utilities Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | Vanguard |
| What it is | US real estate | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.6% | +2.1% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −11.9 pts | −15.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.13% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 63.3% | 90.1% |
| Holdings | 146 | 66 |
VNQ in plain words
VNQ is an index equity fund tracking the US real estate. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +5.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.13% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 63% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 146 positions, with the top ten at 54.9%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
VPU in plain words
VPU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 66 positions, with the top ten at 52.7%. It sat 9.8% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VNQ or VPU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VNQ returned +5.6% and VPU returned +2.1%, so VNQ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VNQ or VPU?
- VNQ charges 0.13% a year and VPU charges 0.09%, so VPU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VNQ and VPU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 63% of VNQ and 90% of VPU by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% 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, VNQ against VPU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VNQ-VPU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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