{"url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return","section":"learn","title":"Price Return vs Total Return in ETFs | ETFIQ","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, the median income ETF paid 16.5% in cash over a year but its price moved -9.6%, for a total return of 6.4%. Plain words, dated numbers.","as_of":"Nov 4, 2026","structured_data":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return#article","headline":"What is the difference between price return and total return?","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, the median income ETF paid 16.5% in cash over a year but its price moved -9.6%, for a total return of 6.4%.","url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return","mainEntityOfPage":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return","dateModified":"2026-11-04","datePublished":"2026-11-04","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ETFIQ Research","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ETFIQ Research","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"about":"What is the difference between price return and total return?","inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return#questions","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Which number answers my question?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Total return answers what you got. Price return and cash show how you got it."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Does total return assume I reinvest?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. It adds each payment back on the day it was paid."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where do I see both?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"On every income fund page, over the same window."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ETFIQ","item":"https://etfiq.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learn","item":"https://etfiq.com/learn/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Price Return vs Total Return in ETFs","item":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","name":"Price Return vs Total Return in ETFs","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, the median income ETF paid 16.5% in cash over a year but its price moved -9.6%, for a total return of 6.4%. Plain words, dated numbers.","url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return","dateModified":"2026-11-04","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".lede",".faq"]},"publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org"}}],"characters":2214,"truncated":false,"content":"ETFIQ / Learn / Price Return vs Total Return in ETFs \n \n What is the difference between price return and total return?\n Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.\n As of Nov 4, 2026, the median income ETF paid 16.5% in cash over a year but its price moved -9.6%, for a total return of 6.4%.\n \n In plain words\n Price return is the change in the fund\u2019s price. Total return adds the cash it paid, as if reinvested. A fund that pays a lot can have a negative price return and still a positive total return, and the reverse.\n Among 264 income ETFs with a full year, the median paid 16.5% in cash, the price moved -9.6%, and the total return was 6.4%. 189 of them ended the year with a lower price. ETFIQ shows both over the same dates, with the benchmark\u2019s total return beside them.\n Questions\n Which number answers my question? Total return answers what you got. Price return and cash show how you got it.\n Does total return assume I reinvest? Yes. It adds each payment back on the day it was paid.\n Where do I see both? On every income fund page, over the same window.\n Where to next\n Income ETFs Compare two ETFs Screener: filter every ETF What is the 12-month yield of an ETF? How high can an income ETF yield go? What is tracking difference in an ETF? All ETF explainers How ETFIQ computes these numbers \n Cite this page. ETFIQ, What is the difference between price return and total return?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data .\n Other forms Plain ETFIQ, What is the difference between price return and total return?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return APA ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). What is the difference between price return and total return?. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return Markdown [What is the difference between price return and total return? (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return)","source":"ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.","publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"license":"https://etfiq.com/license/","license_text":"Data ETFIQ computes is free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.","citation":"ETFIQ, What is the difference between price return and total return?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-the-difference-between-price-return-and-total-return"}