Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VHT vs VIG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VHT returned +25.0% to VIG's +13.9%; 19% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $19.1bn for Vanguard Health Care ETF and $109.1bn for Vanguard Div Appreciation ETF.
Pair scorecard
VIG costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.1 points; VIG is 5.7 times larger.
| Measure | VHT | VIG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +25.0% | +13.9% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50 | S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.1bn | $109.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 19% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 51.8% | 34.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 5, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,068 weekly returnsVHT returned more: +752.0% to +619.3%. VIG swung slightly less: 15.7% to 16.9%. VHT fell less at its worst: −38.1% to −45.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VHT | VIG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +752.0% | +619.3% | VHT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.0% | +10.1% | VHT (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +525.2% | +379.5% | VHT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.9% | 15.7% | VIG (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.0% | 11.0% | VIG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −38.1% | −45.9% | VHT | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.60 | 0.58 | VHT (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.85 | 0.83 | VHT (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.29 | 0.22 | VHT | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,068 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VHT and VIG hold 19% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
19% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VHT and VIG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VHT and VIG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VHT follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50 and VIG follows S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index.
- Holdings in common. 19% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VHT returned +25.0% and VIG +13.9% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 11.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VHT
VHT tracks an index of Health Care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.0% with distributions reinvested, against +25.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 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 414 positions, with the top ten at 51.8%.
VIG
VIG tracks an index of Dividend growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 335 positions, with the top ten at 34.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VHT or VIG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VHT returned +25.0% and VIG +13.9%.
- Which is cheaper, VHT or VIG?
- VIG is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 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, VHT against VIG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vht-vs-vig
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VHT against VIG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vht-vs-vig
[VHT against VIG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vht-vs-vig)
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