Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VTI vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VTI returned +13.5% to XLU's −3.0%; 2% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $689.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF, and $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTI costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.5 points; VTI is far larger, $689.2bn against $21.3bn.
| Measure | VTI | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.5% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Total Market Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $689.2bn | $21.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 34.7% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 8, 2001 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,324 weekly returnsVTI returned more: +898.9% to +544.8%. VTI and XLU swung about the same: 17.8% and 17.9%. XLU fell less at its worst: −46.0% to −54.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VTI | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +898.9% | +544.8% | VTI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.5% | +7.6% | VTI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +540.9% | +167.0% | VTI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.8% | 17.9% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.7% | 12.8% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −54.8% | −46.0% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.50 | 0.40 | VTI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.56 | VTI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.17 | 0.17 | VTI (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,324 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VTI and XLU hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VTI and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VTI and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VTI follows Morningstar US Total Market Index and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 2% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VTI returned +13.5% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VTI
VTI tracks an index of US total market. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,521 positions, with the top ten at 34.7%.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VTI or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTI returned +13.5% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VTI or XLU?
- VTI 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, VTI against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vti-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VTI against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vti-vs-xlu
[VTI against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vti-vs-xlu)
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