Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWM vs IYR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to IYR's +3.4%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $75.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 2000 ETF, and $3.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF.
Pair scorecard
IWM costs 0.18 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.7 points; IWM is 18.7 times larger.
| Measure | IWM | IYR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.1% | +3.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 8.6%, high on Jul 28, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Index | Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.37% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $74.6bn | $4.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 3.3% | 52.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 30, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,373 weekly returnsIYR returned slightly more: +685.9% to +648.9%. IWM swung slightly less: 22.4% to 23.1%. IWM fell less at its worst: −57.7% to −73.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWM | IYR | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +648.9% | +685.9% | IYR (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.9% | +8.1% | IYR (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +433.4% | +178.2% | IWM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.4% | 23.1% | IWM (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.7% | 16.0% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.7% | −73.5% | IWM | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.37 | 0.38 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.53 | 0.54 | IYR (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.11 | IWM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,373 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and IYR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWM and IYR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWM and IYR do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and IYR follows Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IWM returned +14.1% and IYR +3.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 10.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWM
IWM tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% 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 1,977 positions, with the top ten at 3.3%. It sat 7.6% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
IYR
IYR tracks an index of U.S. Real Estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 80% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 59 positions, with the top ten at 52.5%. It sat 8.6% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWM or IYR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and IYR +3.4%.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or IYR?
- IWM is cheaper, by 0.18 percentage points a year. That is about $18 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IWM against IYR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-iyr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWM against IYR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-iyr
[IWM against IYR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-iyr)
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