# What is the 12-month yield of an ETF?

> As of Nov 4, 2026, the median income ETF has a 12-month yield of 16.5%, against 1.6% for stock ETFs and 4.4% for bond ETFs. Updated every trading night.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

## What is the 12-month yield of an ETF?

Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

As of Nov 4, 2026, the median income ETF has a 12-month yield of 16.5%, against 1.6% for stock ETFs and 4.4% for bond ETFs.

### In plain words

A 12-month yield is the cash a fund paid over the past year divided by its price: $2 paid on a $50 fund is 4%. It looks back, so it says what was paid, not what will be paid.

A high yield says nothing about total return. If the price fell by more than the cash paid, the fund lost value. The SEC yield differs: it is the income earned over the last 30 days after costs, as a yearly rate, and can sit below what a fund pays out. ETFIQ shows cash paid, price change and total return side by side over the same window.

### Questions

What is the difference between yield and total return? Yield counts only the cash paid. Total return adds the change in price. A fund can pay a high yield and still lose value.

Is the 12-month yield a forecast? No. It is what was paid over the past year.

Why do income ETFs yield more? Many write options, which earns cash now at the cost of giving up some gain.

### Where to next

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Source: ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.
Cite: ETFIQ, What is the 12-month yield of an ETF?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-12-month-yield-of-an-etf
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