Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VTEB vs XLB: how they differ
VTEB and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLB returned more over the year.
Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VTEB and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VTEB | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| University of California 0.12% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority 0.12% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| Colorado State Education Loan Program 0.11% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| State of California 0.11% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| New York City Transitional Finance Autho 0.09% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| Dallas Independent School District 0.09% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| New York State Dormitory Authority 0.09% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| Ohio Water Development Authority Water P 0.09% | CRH PLC 4.67% |
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 Jun 30, 2026.
| VTEB Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond Index Fund | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Tax-Exempt Bond | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +0.2% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −17.3 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Holdings | 10185 | 26 |
VTEB in plain words
VTEB is a bond fund tracking the Tax-Exempt Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +0.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.6% below its high of Jul 6, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLB in plain words
XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. 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 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 26 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VTEB or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTEB returned +0.2% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VTEB or XLB?
- VTEB charges 0.03% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VTEB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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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, VTEB against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VTEB-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources