Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VPU vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VPU returned −3.3% to VYM's +18.0%; 5% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $7.7bn for Vanguard Utilities ETF and $78.9bn for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.3 points; VYM is 10.2 times larger.
| Measure | VPU | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.3% | +18.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.7bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 5% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.3% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 24, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,039 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +487.1% to +372.4%. VYM swung slightly less: 16.7% to 18.2%. VPU fell less at its worst: −44.9% to −56.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VPU | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +372.4% | +487.1% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.1% | +9.3% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +143.5% | +220.2% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.2% | 16.7% | VYM (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.0% | 11.8% | VYM (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −44.9% | −56.7% | VPU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.43 | 0.52 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.60 | 0.73 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.16 | VPU (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,039 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VPU and VYM hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
5% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VPU and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VPU and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VPU follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 5% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VPU returned −3.3% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 21.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% 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 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VPU or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VPU returned −3.3% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VPU or VYM?
- VYM 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, VPU against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VPU against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-vym
[VPU against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-vym)
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