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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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GOVT vs VUSB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GOVT's duration was 5.5 years on Jul 31, 2026 and VUSB's 1.0 on Jun 30, 2026; GOVT charges 0.05% to VUSB's 0.10%.

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Net assets: $42.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF, and $9.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF.

GOVT on its own →VUSB on its own →
At a glance
−1.5%
GOVT total return, 1 year
+3.5%
VUSB total return, 1 year
0.05%
GOVT expense ratio
0.10%
VUSB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GOVT costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.0 points; GOVT is 4.2 times larger.

GOVT vs VUSB: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureGOVTVUSB
Return
Total return, 1 year−1.5%+3.5%
Drawdown
Below its high8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020
Benchmark
What it tracksICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond IndexNo index, actively managed
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.05%0.10%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$41.4bn$9.9bn
Holdings
Holdings in common0%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method

What they share

0%

By the books each fund has filed, GOVT and VUSB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first GOVT VUSB
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Jul 31, 2027 0.09% 0.67%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in GOVT
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2031 5.28%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2029 2.95%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Feb 15, 2028 2.63%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due Nov 15, 2028 2.08%
U.S. Treasury Notes, due May 15, 2028 1.62%
U.S. Treasury Bonds, due May 15, 2046 1.48%
U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Nov 15, 2042 1.46%
U.S. Treasury Bonds, due Feb 15, 2051 1.46%
Only in VUSB
TREASURY BILL, due Jun 10, 2027 4.19%
PNC FINANCIAL, due Oct 26, 2029 0.58%
US TREASURY N/B, due Jun 30, 2028 0.52%
REGIONS BANKS, due Jul 27, 2029 0.51%
US BANCORP, due Jun 12, 2029 0.50%
CHARLES SCHWAB, due Jul 27, 2029 0.49%
TRUIST BANK, due Jul 24, 2028 0.44%
WFLOOR 2025-1A A, due Oct 15, 2029 0.44%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF VUSB Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer iShares Vanguard
What it is Tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond Actively managed
Total return, 1 year −1.5% +3.5%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured −1.4% (AGG)
Gap to its benchmark not measured +4.9 pts vs AGG
Expense ratio 0.05% 0.10%
Holdings 229 1344
Net assets, GOVT as of Oct 27, 2026 and VUSB as of Sep 30, 2026 $42.8bn $9.9bn

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

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About each fund
GOVT

GOVT tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

VUSB

VUSB is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.5% with distributions reinvested, against −1.4% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or VUSB?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and VUSB +3.5%.
Which is cheaper, GOVT or VUSB?
GOVT is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
GOVT vs VBILBOXX vs GOVTGOVT vs MINTGOVT vs USFRIEF vs VUSBVGIT vs VUSBMBB vs VUSBVGSH vs VUSB
Where to next
GOVT on its own →VUSB on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →GOVT dividend history →GOVT holdings →VUSB dividend history →VUSB holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
GOVT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
GOVT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
iShares page for GOVT ↗
VUSB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VUSB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VUSB ↗

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, GOVT against VUSB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-vusb

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