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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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USO vs VDC: Differences, Returns & Fees

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USO is a commodity futures fund and VDC an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, USO returned +133.3% against +12.7%.

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Net assets: $1.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for United States Oil Fund, LP, and $7.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF.

USO on its own →VDC on its own →
At a glance
+133.3%
USO total return, 1 year
+12.7%
VDC total return, 1 year
0.86%
USO expense ratio
0.09%
VDC expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VDC costs 0.77 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 120.6 points.

USO vs VDC: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureUSOVDC
Return
Total return, 1 year+133.3%+12.7%
Drawdown
Below its high82.3%, high on Jul 14, 20083.1%, high on Oct 22, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksOil futuresMSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Consumer Staples 25/50
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.86%0.09%
Net assets, USO as of Oct 28, 2026 and VDC as of Sep 30, 2026$1.9bn$7.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight86%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund66.0%

Method

Side by side

USO United States Oil Fund, LP VDC Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF
Where it sits Commodity ETF Stock ETF
Issuer USCF Vanguard
What it is Holds oil futures Tracks an index of Consumer Staples
Total return, 1 year +133.3% +12.7%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured +12.7% (FSTA)
Gap to its benchmark not measured 0.0 pts vs FSTA
Expense ratio 0.86% 0.09%
Holdings not counted 105
Net assets, USO as of Oct 28, 2026 and VDC as of Sep 30, 2026 $1.9bn $7.4bn

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

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About each fund
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.

VDC

VDC tracks an index of Consumer Staples. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.7% with distributions reinvested, against +12.7% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Consumer Staples 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 105 positions, with the top ten at 66.0%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Oct 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, USO or VDC?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, USO returned +133.3% and VDC +12.7%.
Which is cheaper, USO or VDC?
VDC is cheaper, by 0.77 percentage points a year. That is about $77 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
USO vs XLPUSO vs VPUUSO vs XLREUSO vs XLBBWET vs VDCGLDM vs VDCIAU vs VDCGLD vs VDC
Where to next
USO on its own →VDC on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →VDC dividend history →VDC holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
USCF website ↗
VDC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VDC prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VDC ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, USO against VDC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/uso-vs-vdc

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