Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DIA vs XLI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DIA returned +11.6% to XLI's +10.2%; 11% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $45.9bn for SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust and $30.8bn for State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLI costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points; DIA is 1.5 times larger.
| Measure | DIA | XLI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.6% | +10.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.0%, high on Aug 5, 2026 | 9.4%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones Industrial Average | Industrial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.16% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $45.9bn | $30.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 11% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 54.7% | 37.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 31, 1998 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,451 weekly returnsXLI returned slightly more: +998.8% to +919.5%. DIA swung less: 17.2% to 20.6%. DIA fell less at its worst: −50.9% to −61.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DIA | XLI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +919.5% | +998.8% | XLI (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.7% | +9.0% | XLI (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +469.6% | +570.3% | XLI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.2% | 20.6% | DIA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.3% | 14.4% | DIA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.9% | −61.6% | DIA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.47 | 0.44 | DIA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.62 | DIA (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.17 | 0.15 | DIA | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,451 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DIA and XLI hold 11% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
11% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DIA and XLI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DIA and XLI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DIA follows Dow Jones Industrial Average and XLI follows Industrial Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 11% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DIA returned +11.6% and XLI +10.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 1.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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DIA
DIA tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +11.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 30 positions, with the top ten at 54.7%. It sat 3.0% below its high of Aug 5, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLI
XLI tracks an index of Industrials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 84 positions, with the top ten at 37.8%. It sat 9.4% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DIA or XLI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DIA returned +11.6% and XLI +10.2%.
- Which is cheaper, DIA or XLI?
- XLI is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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.
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ETFIQ, DIA against XLI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-xli
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DIA against XLI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-xli
[DIA against XLI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-xli)
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