Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SCHD vs VPU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SCHD returned +34.5% to VPU's −3.3%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $112.3bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF, and $7.7bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Utilities ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHD costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 37.8 points.
| Measure | SCHD | VPU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +34.5% | −3.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, SCHD as of Aug 31, 2026 and VPU as of Sep 30, 2026 | $112.3bn | $7.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 41.7% | 52.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 28, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 782 weekly returnsSCHD returned more: +554.4% to +300.0%. SCHD swung less: 14.8% to 17.4%. SCHD fell slightly less at its worst: −31.5% to −32.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SCHD | VPU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +554.4% | +300.0% | SCHD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.3% | +9.7% | SCHD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +306.8% | +145.7% | SCHD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 14.8% | 17.4% | SCHD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.4% | 12.0% | SCHD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.5% | −32.4% | SCHD (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.80 | 0.52 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.15 | 0.75 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.42 | 0.30 | SCHD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 782 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SCHD and VPU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SCHD and VPU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SCHD and VPU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SCHD follows Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and VPU follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SCHD returned +34.5% and VPU −3.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 37.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SCHD
SCHD tracks an index of US dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +34.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 99 positions, with the top ten at 41.7%.
VPU
VPU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.3% with distributions reinvested, against −3.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 70 positions, with the top ten at 52.3%. It sat 8.9% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SCHD or VPU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SCHD returned +34.5% and VPU −3.3%.
- Which is cheaper, SCHD or VPU?
- SCHD is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 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, SCHD against VPU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/schd-vs-vpu
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