SCHG vs VUG: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
SCHG
VUG
SCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?
You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.
SCHG vs VUG, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | SCHG | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +10.51% | +11.18% | VUG |
| 2025 | +17.50% | +19.40% | VUG |
| 2024 | +34.96% | +32.69% | SCHG |
| 2023 | +50.11% | +46.83% | SCHG |
| 2022 | -31.80% | -33.16% | SCHG |
| 2021 | +28.12% | +27.35% | SCHG |
| 2020 | +39.14% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +36.02% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -1.36% | -3.32% | SCHG |
| 2017 | +28.05% | +27.72% | SCHG |
| 2016 | +6.55% | +6.27% | SCHG |
| 2015 | +3.24% | +3.24% | Tie |
| 2014 | +15.80% | +13.61% | SCHG |
| 2013 | +34.04% | +32.48% | SCHG |
| 2012 | +16.89% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | -0.74% | +1.82% | VUG |
| 2010 | +14.92% | +17.22% | VUG |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
SCHG vs VUG in plain words
SCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SCHG charges 0.04% a year in running costs and VUG charges 0.03% — VUG is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, SCHG finished the year ahead 9 times and VUG 7 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $52,975 in SCHG versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: SCHG vs VUG
| Fact | SCHG | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.04% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 11 Dec 2009 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in SCHG became | What $10,000 in VUG became |
How bumpy the ride was: SCHG vs VUG
These head-to-head figures use only the 4,215 trading days both funds were listed: 4 Jan 2010 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 16.7 years.
SCHG and VUG swung about equally: annualised volatility of 19.7% for SCHG against 19.6% for VUG, with SCHG moving 1% or more on 30.1% of trading days and VUG on 30.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: SCHG closed -12.55% and VUG -12.62%.
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 months after the low; SCHG fell -34.59% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 5 Jan 2023, then closed back above the old peak on 18 Dec 2023, 11 months after the low.
Day to day the two move almost in lockstep: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.99, and they closed in opposite directions on 3.5% of the 4,214 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 1 Apr 2015, when SCHG moved -0.52% and VUG +2.43%.
| Measure | SCHG | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 19.7% | 19.6% |
| Worst day | -12.55% on 16 Mar 2020 | -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +11.59% on 9 Apr 2025 | +11.63% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 30.1% of days | 30.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -34.59% | -35.61% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Nov 2021 → 5 Jan 2023 | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 18 Dec 2023 · 11 months | 23 Jan 2024 · 14 months |
Years SCHG and VUG parted ways
In none of the 16 completed calendar years both funds were trading did the two returns end more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: SCHG returned +50.11% and VUG +46.83%, a gap of 3.3 points. They rose together in 13 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.
How often SCHG beat VUG over any 12 months
Across the 189 rolling 12-month windows since January 2010, measured month-end to month-end, SCHG finished ahead in 61.4% of them (116) and VUG in 38.6% (73).
$200 a month into each, 2011–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2011 to December 2025 (180 payments, $36,000 in total) would have grown to $155,821 in SCHG and $146,679 in VUG, leaving SCHG $9,142 ahead.
| Outcome | SCHG | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $36,000 | $36,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $155,821 | $146,679 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$119,821 | +$110,679 |
| Gain in % | +332.84% | +307.44% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is SCHG or VUG better?
Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, SCHG finished the year ahead 9 times and VUG 7 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $52,975 in SCHG versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between SCHG and VUG?
SCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SCHG charges 0.04% a year in running costs and VUG charges 0.03% — VUG is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
Which is more volatile, SCHG or VUG?
SCHG and VUG swung about equally: annualised volatility of 19.7% for SCHG against 19.6% for VUG, with SCHG moving 1% or more on 30.1% of trading days and VUG on 30.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: SCHG closed -12.55% and VUG -12.62%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, SCHG or VUG?
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 months after the low; SCHG fell -34.59% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 5 Jan 2023, then closed back above the old peak on 18 Dec 2023, 11 months after the low.
How often did SCHG beat VUG over a 12-month period?
Across the 189 rolling 12-month windows since January 2010, measured month-end to month-end, SCHG finished ahead in 61.4% of them (116) and VUG in 38.6% (73).
What would $10,000 in SCHG have become?
$10,000 invested in SCHG at the start of 2016 grew to $52,975 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 18.1% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring SCHG or VUG.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.