Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
USO vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
USO is a commodity futures fund and VBR an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, USO returned +133.3% against +17.6%.
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Net assets: $1.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for United States Oil Fund, LP, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.
Pair scorecard
VBR costs 0.81 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 115.7 points.
| Measure | USO | VBR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +133.3% | +17.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 82.3%, high on Jul 14, 2008 | 3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Oil futures | Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.86% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, USO as of Oct 28, 2026 and VBR as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.9bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 30% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.9% | |
Side by side
USO and VBR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
USO
USO holds oil futures. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +133.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.86% a year. It sat 82.3% below its high of Jul 14, 2008 on Oct 28, 2026.
VBR
VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, USO or VBR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, USO returned +133.3% and VBR +17.6%.
- Which is cheaper, USO or VBR?
- VBR is cheaper, by 0.81 percentage points a year. That is about $81 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.
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ETFIQ, USO against VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/uso-vs-vbr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). USO against VBR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/uso-vs-vbr
[USO against VBR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/uso-vs-vbr)
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