Which returned more over the last year, IWM or XHB?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and XHB −8.6%.

Which is cheaper, IWM or XHB?

IWM is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do IWM and XHB overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IWM and 46% of XHB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IWM vs XHB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to XHB's −8.6%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $75.5bn for iShares Russell 2000 ETF and $1.5bn for State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF.

IWM on its own →XHB on its own →

At a glance

+14.1%

IWM total return, 1 year

−8.6%

XHB total return, 1 year

0.19%

IWM expense ratio

0.35%

XHB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IWM costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.7 points; IWM is far larger, $75.5bn against $1.5bn.

IWM vs XHB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IWM	XHB
Return
Measure	IWM	XHB
Total return, 1 year	+14.1%	−8.6%
Drawdown
Measure	IWM	XHB
Below its high	7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026	20.5%, high on Oct 18, 2024
Benchmark
Measure	IWM	XHB
What it tracks	Russell 2000 Index	S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index
Cost and size
Measure	IWM	XHB
Expense ratio	0.19%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$75.5bn	$1.5bn
Holdings
Measure	IWM	XHB
Holdings in common	1%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	3.3%	35.4%

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

Risk and return

Feb 17, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,079 weekly returns

IWM XHB

Return

Total return edge IWM +399.5% +167.9%

Annualized edge IWM +8.1% +4.9%

Price return edge IWM +279.6% +119.5%

Risk

Volatility edge IWM 23.0% 32.4%

Max drawdown edge IWM −57.7% −81.4%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge IWM 0.38 0.25

Sortino edge IWM 0.54 0.38

Calmar edge IWM 0.14 0.06

Reading

IWM returned more: +399.5% to +167.9%. IWM swung less: 23.0% to 32.4%. IWM fell less at its worst: −57.7% to −81.4%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IWM vs XHB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IWM	XHB	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+399.5%	+167.9%	IWM	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+8.1%	+4.9%	IWM	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+279.6%	+119.5%	IWM	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	23.0%	32.4%	IWM	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	16.1%	21.8%	IWM	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−57.7%	−81.4%	IWM	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.38	0.25	IWM	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.54	0.38	IWM	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.14	0.06	IWM	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,079 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IWM and XHB hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

1% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IWM XHB

INSTALLED BUILDING PRODUCTS 0.16% 3.14%

CHAMPION HOMES INC 0.15% 3.10%

CAVCO INDUSTRIES 0.14% 3.22%

MERITAGE CORP 0.14% 3.23%

M I HOMES INC 0.11% 2.78%

KB HOME 0.10% 3.03%

GREEN BRICK PARTNERS 0.07% 1.49%

CENTURY COMMUNITIES INC 0.05% 1.68%

LGI HOMES 0.03% 1.36%

HOVNANIAN ENTERPRISES CLASS A 0.02% 0.74%

DREAM FINDERS HOMES INC CLASS A 0.01% 0.46%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IWM

JFROG 0.37%

GLAUKOS 0.35%

TWIST BIOSCIENCE 0.35%

MOOG INC CLASS A 0.34%

BRIGHTSPRING HEALTH SERVICES INC 0.33%

UMB FINANCIAL 0.33%

SM ENERGY 0.32%

10X GENOMICS CLASS A 0.31%

Only in XHB

ALLEGION PLC 3.83%

SHARKNINJA INC 3.76%

WAYFAIR INC CLASS A 3.63%

WILLIAMS SONOMA INC 3.54%

SIMPSON MANUFACTURING CO INC 3.49%

MASCO CORP 3.49%

JOHNSON CONTROLS INTERNATION 3.46%

DR HORTON INC 3.41%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IWM iShares Russell 2000 ETF XHB State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer iShares State Street

What it is Tracks the Russell 2000 Tracks the S&P Homebuilders

Total return, 1 year +14.1% −8.6%

Its benchmark over the same days +14.3% (VTWO) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs VTWO not measured

Expense ratio 0.19% 0.35%

Already in the S&P 500 0.0% 45.7%

Holdings 1977 34

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $75.5bn $1.5bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-9C1065C8DF

IWM and XHB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and XHB follows S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index.
Holdings in common. 1% 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 XHB −8.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.7 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

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.

XHB

XHB tracks the S&P Homebuilders. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −8.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 46% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 34 positions, with the top ten at 35.4%. It sat 20.5% below its high of Oct 18, 2024 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IWM or XHB?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and XHB −8.6%.
Which is cheaper, IWM or XHB?: IWM is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do IWM and XHB overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IWM and 46% of XHB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

IWM vs XRT IWM vs XLY IWM vs IYE IWM vs VHT VB vs XHB VTWO vs XHB IJR vs XHB IJT vs XHB

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IWM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IWM prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IWM ↗

XHB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XHB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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 XHB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-xhb

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