Are AIRR and IJR in the same category?

AIRR is a thematic ETF and IJR is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or IJR?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned −0.2% and IJR +17.5%.

Which is cheaper, AIRR or IJR?

IJR is cheaper, by 0.63 percentage points a year. That is about $63 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do AIRR and IJR overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 15% of AIRR and 0% of IJR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

AIRR vs IJR: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share on X Download as PDF

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, AIRR returned −0.2% to IJR's +17.5%, and IJR charges 0.06% to AIRR's 0.69%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about AIRR and IJR

Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $8.4bn for First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF and $104.6bn for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF.

AIRR on its own →IJR on its own →

At a glance

−0.2%

AIRR total return, 1 year

+17.5%

IJR total return, 1 year

0.69%

AIRR expense ratio

0.06%

IJR expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IJR costs 0.63 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.7 points; IJR is 12.5 times larger.

AIRR vs IJR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	AIRR	IJR
Return
Measure	AIRR	IJR
Total return, 1 year	−0.2%	+17.5%
Drawdown
Measure	AIRR	IJR
Below its all-time high	25.5%, high on Jun 22, 2026
Below its high		6.8%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Against its benchmark
Measure	AIRR	IJR
What it tracks	Reshoring and manufacturing	S&P SmallCap 600
Against the S&P 500, 1 year	behind by 13.9 pts
Against its benchmark, 1 year	behind by 13.9 pts
Cost and size
Measure	AIRR	IJR
Expense ratio	0.69%	0.06%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$8.4bn	$104.6bn
Active share vs the S&P 500	100%
Holdings
Measure	AIRR	IJR
Holdings in common	5%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	33%	5.3%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, AIRR and IJR hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

5% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first AIRR IJR

Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corp. 0.94% 0.41%

Federal Signal Corporation 1.09% 0.40%

Everus Construction Group, Inc. 0.87% 0.30%

CSW Industrials, Inc. 0.87% 0.28%

Granite Construction Incorporated 1.41% 0.28%

Herc Holdings, Inc. 3.30% 0.27%

Argan, Inc. 2.97% 0.27%

Karman Holdings Inc. 3.51% 0.27%

Powell Industries, Inc. 1.85% 0.26%

Fulton Financial Corporation 0.94% 0.25%

Mercury Systems, Inc. 1.30% 0.25%

Construction Partners, Inc. (Class A) 1.17% 0.23%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in AIRR

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. 3.83%

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. 3.47%

BWX Technologies, Inc. 3.33%

Owens Corning 3.20%

RBC Bearings Incorporated 3.19%

Dycom Industries, Inc. 3.13%

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. 3.13%

Nextpower Inc. (Class A) 3.12%

Only in IJR

GLAUKOS 0.61%

PAYCOM SOFTWARE 0.57%

MATCH GROUP INC 0.57%

VIASAT INC 0.55%

SM ENERGY 0.53%

PROTAGONIST THERAPEUTICS 0.52%

RYMAN HOSPITALITY PROPERTIES REIT 0.51%

JACKSON FINANCIAL CLASS A 0.48%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Stock ETF

Issuer First Trust iShares

What it is Reshoring and manufacturing Tracks the S&P SmallCap 600

Total return, 1 year −0.2% +17.5%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.7% (VOO) +17.6% (SPSM)

Gap to its benchmark −13.9 pts vs VOO −0.1 pts vs SPSM

Expense ratio 0.69% 0.06%

Already in the S&P 500 14.7% 0.0%

Holdings 55 642

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $8.4bn $104.6bn

AIRR and IJR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

AIRR

By weight, 15% of AIRR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500, from its filing for Jun 30, 2026; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%.

The top ten holdings are 33% of the fund across 55 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −0.2% with distributions reinvested against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, so a holder was behind by 13.9 pts. It sits 25.5% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.

IJR

IJR tracks the S&P SmallCap 600. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.6% for its benchmark, the S&P SmallCap 600. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 642 positions, with the top ten at 5.3%. It sat 6.8% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are AIRR and IJR in the same category?: AIRR is a thematic ETF and IJR is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or IJR?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned −0.2% and IJR +17.5%.
Which is cheaper, AIRR or IJR?: IJR is cheaper, by 0.63 percentage points a year. That is about $63 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do AIRR and IJR overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 15% of AIRR and 0% of IJR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

AIRR vs IWM AIRR vs VB AIRR vs IJH AIRR vs VUG IJR vs XBI IBB vs IJR GDX vs IJR IJR vs REMX

Where to next

AIRR on its own →IJR on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →AIRR dividend history →AIRR holdings →IJR dividend history →IJR holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

AIRR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

AIRR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

First Trust page for AIRR ↗

IJR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IJR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IJR ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, AIRR against IJR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/airr-vs-ijr

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.