VTI vs SCHG: which ETF won each year?

Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.

VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market IndexSCHG tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market 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.

VTI turned it into
$37,896
+14.25% per year on average · 2016–2025
SCHG turned it into
$52,975
+18.14% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
−$15,080
SCHG made more of the same money

VTI vs SCHG, 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.

Years compared
17
where both funds were trading
VTI won
5
years
SCHG won
12
years
YearVTISCHGWinner
2026 (so far)+12.58%+10.51%VTI
2025+17.10%+17.50%SCHG
2024+23.81%+34.96%SCHG
2023+26.05%+50.11%SCHG
2022-19.52%-31.80%VTI
2021+25.68%+28.12%SCHG
2020+21.08%+39.14%SCHG
2019+30.67%+36.02%SCHG
2018-5.23%-1.36%SCHG
2017+21.21%+28.05%SCHG
2016+12.82%+6.55%VTI
2015+0.36%+3.24%SCHG
2014+12.55%+15.80%SCHG
2013+33.45%+34.04%SCHG
2012+16.45%+16.89%SCHG
2011+0.97%-0.74%VTI
2010+17.43%+14.92%VTI
2009+28.90%——
2008-36.99%——
2007+5.37%——
2006+15.70%——
2005+6.30%——
2004+12.78%——
2003+30.74%——
2002-20.48%——
2001-4.40%——

VTI vs SCHG in plain words

VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while SCHG follows the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and SCHG charges 0.04% — VTI 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, VTI finished the year ahead 5 times and SCHG 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $52,975 in SCHG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.

Fund facts: VTI vs SCHG

FactVTISCHG
FundVanguard Total Stock Market ETFSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF
TracksCRSP US Total Market IndexDow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.03%0.04%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched24 May 200111 Dec 2009
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in VTI becameWhat $10,000 in SCHG became

How bumpy the ride was: VTI vs SCHG

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 swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 17.4% for VTI against 19.7% for SCHG, with VTI moving 1% or more on 24.9% of trading days and SCHG on 30.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and SCHG -12.55%.

Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: VTI fell -35.00% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Aug 2020, 4 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 0.96, and they closed in opposite directions on 9.7% of the 4,214 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when VTI moved +1.19% and SCHG -2.03%.

MeasureVTISCHG
Annualised volatility17.4%19.7%
Worst day-11.38% on 16 Mar 2020-12.55% on 16 Mar 2020
Best day+10.15% on 9 Apr 2025+11.59% on 9 Apr 2025
Days moving 1% or more24.9% of days30.1% of days
Deepest drawdown-35.00%-34.59%
Peak to trough19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 202019 Nov 2021 → 5 Jan 2023
Back above the old peak12 Aug 2020 · 4 months18 Dec 2023 · 11 months

Years VTI and SCHG parted ways

In 7 of the 16 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: VTI returned +26.05% and SCHG +50.11%, a gap of 24.1 points. They rose together in 13 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.

YearVTISCHGGap (VTI − SCHG)
2024+23.81%+34.96%-11.1 pts
2023+26.05%+50.11%-24.1 pts
2022-19.52%-31.80%+12.3 pts
2020+21.08%+39.14%-18.1 pts
2019+30.67%+36.02%-5.4 pts
2017+21.21%+28.05%-6.8 pts
2016+12.82%+6.55%+6.3 pts

How often VTI beat SCHG over any 12 months

Across the 189 rolling 12-month windows since January 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 32.3% of them (61) and SCHG in 67.7% (128).

12-month windows
189
month-end to month-end, overlapping
VTI ahead
32.3%
61 of 189 windows
SCHG ahead
67.7%
128 of 189 windows

$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 $113,181 in VTI and $155,821 in SCHG, leaving SCHG $42,640 ahead.

OutcomeVTISCHG
Paid in$36,000$36,000
Value at the end of 2025$113,181$155,821
Gain on the money paid in+$77,181+$119,821
Gain in %+214.39%+332.84%

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 VTI or SCHG better?

Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 5 times and SCHG 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $52,975 in SCHG 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 VTI and SCHG?

VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while SCHG follows the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and SCHG charges 0.04% — VTI 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, VTI or SCHG?

SCHG swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 17.4% for VTI against 19.7% for SCHG, with VTI moving 1% or more on 24.9% of trading days and SCHG on 30.1%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and SCHG -12.55%.

Which had the deeper drawdown, VTI or SCHG?

Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: VTI fell -35.00% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Aug 2020, 4 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 VTI beat SCHG over a 12-month period?

Across the 189 rolling 12-month windows since January 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 32.3% of them (61) and SCHG in 67.7% (128).

What would $10,000 in VTI have become?

$10,000 invested in VTI at the start of 2016 grew to $37,896 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.3% per year.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring VTI or SCHG.

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.