Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VGLT vs VGSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
On May 31, 2026 VGLT's duration was 13.5 years and VGSH's 1.8; both charge 0.03%.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $10.4bn for Vanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF and $35.1bn for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF.
Pair scorecard
Both cost 0.03% a year; their one-year returns differ by 8.4 points; VGSH is 3.4 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | VGLT | VGSH |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −6.7% | +1.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 38.8%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. Long Treasury Index | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $10.4bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsEach against its own benchmark: VGLT against SCHQ, Oct 18, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026; VGSH against SCHO, Aug 13, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026.
VGLT returned more: +46.2% to +26.7%. VGSH swung less: 1.3% to 12.7%. VGSH fell less at its worst: −5.5% to −45.6%.
Full scorecard
19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VGLT | VGSH | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +46.2% | +26.7% | VGLT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.3% | +1.4% | VGLT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −13.0% | −3.7% | VGSH | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 12.7% | 1.3% | VGSH | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 9.1% | 0.9% | VGSH | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −45.6% | −5.5% | VGSH | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Upside capture | 99.5% | 97.7% | Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose. | |
| Downside capture | 99.8% | 96.0% | Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better. | |
| Beta | 1.00 | 0.98 | Not an edge | How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves. |
| R squared | 1.00 | 0.94 | Not an edge | Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.12 | −0.09 | VGLT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.17 | −0.14 | VGLT | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Treynor | −0.058 | −0.002 | Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta. | |
| Calmar | 0.05 | 0.26 | VGSH | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
| Against the benchmark | ||||
| Benchmark | SCHQ | SCHO | The ETF each fund is measured against. | |
| Alpha | 0.0% a year | 0.0% a year | Not significant | Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts. |
| Alpha t-stat | −0.24 | 0.22 | Not an edge | How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance. |
| Alpha range | −0.4% to +0.3% | −0.1% to +0.2% | Includes zero | The 95% range for the yearly alpha. |
| Information ratio | −0.04 | 0.07 | Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error. | |
| Tracking error | 0.5% | 0.3% | Not an edge | How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VGLT and VGSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VGLT and VGSH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VGLT and VGSH do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VGLT follows Bloomberg U.S. Long Treasury Index and VGSH follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VGLT returned −6.7% and VGSH +1.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VGLT
VGLT tracks an index of Long-term Treasury. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −6.7% with distributions reinvested, against −6.7% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Long Treasury Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 38.8% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.
VGSH
VGSH tracks an index of Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against +1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index.
Questions people ask
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, VGLT against VGSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vglt-vs-vgsh
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VGLT against VGSH. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vglt-vs-vgsh
[VGLT against VGSH (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vglt-vs-vgsh)
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