Statistics · 2026 · ETFs
Dividend & Bond ETF Statistics (2026)
Among the 8 dividend and bond ETFs WealthyBud tracks, dividend and equity-income funds posted a median 1-year price return of 8.9%, while bond funds posted a median of -6.0%, as of 2026-10-02 — every one of the 5 tracked bond ETFs had a negative price return over the trailing year. Vanguard’s own fact sheets put BND’s expense ratio at 0.03% and VIG’s at 0.04%, both as of March 31, 2026.
Key takeaways
- WealthyBud tracks 8 dividend and bond ETFs: 3 dividend/income funds (VIG, SCHD, JEPI) and 5 bond funds (HYG, AGG, BND, LQD, TLT), as of 2026-10-02.
- The median 1-year price return for dividend/income ETFs is 8.9%, versus -6.0% for bond ETFs — every one of the 5 tracked bond ETFs had a negative price return over the trailing year.
- SCHD (Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF) posted the best 1-year price return in the group, 19.8%; TLT (iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF) posted the weakest, -13.2%.
- Bond ETFs are markedly less volatile: a median annualized volatility of 7.7% versus 13.8% for dividend and income ETFs.
- AGG and BND tie for the cheapest bond ETF at 0.03%; HYG is the priciest at 0.49%.
- Per Vanguard’s own fact sheets, BND charges 0.03% against a 0.22% category-ETF average, and VIG charges 0.04% against a 0.47% average.
- U.S. bond ETFs held $2.2 trillion in net assets — 17% of the $13.4 trillion U.S. ETF market — at year-end 2025, up from $340 billion in 2015, per the Investment Company Institute’s 2026 Fact Book.
Which dividend and bond ETFs does WealthyBud track?
WealthyBud tracks 8 dividend, income and bond ETFs out of its 28-fund dataset: 3 dividend/income funds and 5 bond funds, from BlackRock, JPMorgan, Schwab and Vanguard, as of 2026-10-02.
1. 8 dividend, income and bond ETFs tracked
WealthyBud’s dataset includes 3 dividend/income ETFs (VIG, SCHD, JEPI) and 5 bond ETFs (HYG, AGG, BND, LQD, TLT), out of 28 tracked total, as of 2026-10-02 (WealthyBud data · 8 ETFs).
2. 4 issuers represented: BlackRock, JPMorgan, Schwab and Vanguard
BlackRock issues 4 of the 5 bond funds (HYG, AGG, LQD, TLT); the other bond funds are BND (Vanguard) (WealthyBud data · 2026-10-02).
| Ticker | Fund | Category | Issuer | Expense ratio | 1-yr price return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIG | Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF | US dividend growth | Vanguard | 0.04% | 8.9% |
| SCHD | Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | US dividend equity | Schwab | 0.06% | 19.8% |
| JEPI | JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF | US equity income | JPMorgan | 0.35% | -1.7% |
| HYG | iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | High-yield bonds | BlackRock | 0.49% | -5.2% |
| AGG | iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | US total bond | BlackRock | 0.03% | -6.0% |
| BND | Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | US total bond | Vanguard | 0.03% | -5.9% |
| LQD | iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | IG corporate bonds | BlackRock | 0.14% | -8.6% |
| TLT | iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | Long-term Treasuries | BlackRock | 0.15% | -13.2% |
How do dividend ETF returns compare with bond ETF returns?
Dividend and equity-income ETFs posted a median 1-year price return of 8.9%, while bond ETFs posted a median of -6.0%, as of 2026-10-02. Over 5 years the annualized medians are 5.7% for dividend and income funds and -3.9% for bond funds.
Returns on this page are price returns: the change in fund price, with distributions excluded, so they understate total return for funds that pay income. Price returns run from a month-end close to the October 2, 2026 price and are annualized over the actual days: the one-year figure covers September 30, 2025 to October 2, 2026, the 3-year figure September 29, 2023 to October 2, 2026 and the 5-year figure September 30, 2021 to October 2, 2026. The last complete month-end is September 30, 2026, and the one-year figure will not match an issuer's month-end one-year return. Volatility uses the last 60 complete monthly price returns.
3. Best 1-year price return: SCHD at 19.8%
SCHD (Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF) posted the best 1-year price return in the group as of 2026-10-02 (WealthyBud data).
4. Weakest 1-year price return: TLT at -13.2%
TLT (iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF) posted the weakest 1-year price return — long-duration bonds are the most rate-sensitive (WealthyBud data).
5. 5 of 5 bond ETFs posted a negative 1-year price return
Every bond fund tracked here had a negative price return over the trailing year, from HYG at -5.2% to TLT at -13.2%, while 2 of 3 dividend/income funds had a positive price return (WealthyBud data · 2026-10-02).
6. Median 3-year annualized price return: 11.5% (dividend) vs. 0.1% (bond)
Over 3 years, dividend/income ETFs post a median annualized price return of 11.5%, versus 0.1% for bond ETFs (WealthyBud data · 8 funds).
7. Median 5-year annualized price return: 5.7% (dividend) vs. -3.9% (bond)
Over 5 years the median bond-ETF price return is negative at -3.9% annualized, while dividend/income ETFs post a positive 5.7% median (WealthyBud data · 2026-10-02).
8. Vanguard’s own numbers: BND 4.24% 1-year, VIG 12.72%
Vanguard’s BND fact sheet shows a 4.24% 1-year NAV total return (distributions included) and its VIG fact sheet shows 12.72%, both as of March 31, 2026 — a different date and method than WealthyBud’s price returns above (which exclude distributions), so gaps are expected.
- TLT (iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF) had a price return of -13.2% over the trailing year.
- LQD (iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF) had a price return of -8.6% over the trailing year.
- AGG (iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF) had a price return of -6.0% over the trailing year.
- BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF) had a price return of -5.9% over the trailing year.
- HYG (iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF) had a price return of -5.2% over the trailing year.
How volatile are bond ETFs compared with dividend ETFs?
Bond ETFs are meaningfully calmer than dividend and income ETFs. The median annualized volatility across 5 tracked bond funds is 7.7%, versus 13.8% across 3 dividend and equity-income funds (1.8× higher). BND and AGG anchor the low end of the bond group.
9. Median bond-ETF volatility: 7.7%
Across 5 tracked bond ETFs, annualized volatility (from monthly price moves) has a median of 7.7% as of 2026-10-02 (WealthyBud data · 5 funds).
10. Median dividend/income-ETF volatility: 13.8%
Across 3 tracked dividend and equity-income ETFs, median annualized volatility is 13.8%, compared with 15.8% for SPY (WealthyBud data · 3 funds).
11. Bond ETFs run about 1.8× calmer than dividend ETFs
The 7.7% median bond-ETF volatility is roughly 1.8 times lower than the 13.8% median for dividend and income funds — the core reason investors hold bonds for ballast, not growth (WealthyBud data · 2026-10-02).
Compare expense ratios and returns across every ETF WealthyBud tracks
Which dividend or bond ETF has the lowest expense ratio?
AGG and BND tie for the lowest expense ratio in this group at 0.03%; HYG is the priciest at 0.49%. The median across all 8 tracked funds is 0.10%.
12. Cheapest: AGG and BND tie at 0.03%
AGG and BND, both broad U.S. bond-index funds, charge the lowest expense ratio in this group as of 2026-10-02 (WealthyBud data).
13. Priciest: HYG at 0.49%
HYG (iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF), a high-yield bond fund, carries the highest expense ratio in the group — junk-bond credit selection costs more to manage than a broad investment-grade index (WealthyBud data).
14. Median expense ratio across all 8 funds: 0.10%
Half of the 8 dividend and bond ETFs WealthyBud tracks charge 0.10% or less (WealthyBud data · 8 funds).
15. BND undercuts its category average by 0.19 points
Vanguard’s BND fact sheet lists a 0.22% average for core-bond ETFs versus BND’s own 0.03%, as of March 31, 2026.
16. VIG undercuts its category average by 0.43 points
Vanguard’s VIG fact sheet lists a 0.47% average for equity-income ETFs versus VIG’s own 0.04%, as of March 31, 2026.
| Fund | Fund expense ratio | Category average (all funds) | Category average (ETFs only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| BND — Total Bond Market ETF | 0.03% | 0.62% | 0.22% |
| VIG — Dividend Appreciation ETF | 0.04% | 1.02% | 0.47% |
How is dividend and bond ETF income measured, and how big is the bond ETF market?
Bond and dividend ETF income is typically quoted as a 30-day SEC yield or trailing distribution yield, both of which change daily with prices and holdings. WealthyBud’s dataset does not track a live yield field, so this section reports verified issuer figures where available. Separately, U.S. bond ETFs held $2.2 trillion in net assets at year-end 2025, per the Investment Company Institute.
17. WealthyBud does not publish a computed yield figure
WealthyBud’s ETF dataset tracks returns, volatility and expense ratios, not a live yield field. Yield moves daily, so the issuer’s fact sheet is the source for a current number.
18. Vanguard’s BND pays monthly; VIG pays quarterly
BND distributes monthly and VIG quarterly, per their Vanguard fact sheets (March 31, 2026) — bond funds typically pay out more often than equity funds.
19. U.S. bond ETFs hold $2.2 trillion, 17% of the U.S. ETF market
Bond ETFs held $2.2 trillion of the $13.4 trillion U.S. ETF market at year-end 2025, per the Investment Company Institute’s 2026 Fact Book.
20. Bond ETF assets grew roughly 6.6× in a decade
U.S. bond ETF net assets grew from $340 billion in 2015 to $2,239 billion in 2025, per the same ICI Fact Book — investors leaned on bond ETFs for income and liquidity through the decade.
What this means for income-focused investors
Dividend and bond ETFs solve different problems. Funds like SCHD and VIG still carry equity-level volatility (13.8% median); core bond funds like AGG and BND trade that upside for a calmer ride (7.7% median) tied to rates, not earnings.
The trailing year was hard on bonds. Every one of the 5 tracked bond ETFs had a negative price return over the trailing year, and TLT, the weakest, had a price return of -4.4% annualized over 3 years and -11.7% over 5 — while the core funds had price returns of AGG 0.1% and BND 0.1% over 3 years. A reminder that “safe” and “rising in price” are not the same thing when rates move.
Cost discipline still separates the cheap core from the rest. AGG and BND charge 0.03%, well under Vanguard’s 0.22% category-ETF average for core bond funds — a gap that compounds over years of holding.
Quoted yields are snapshots. Because 30-day SEC yield moves daily, any quoted figure is a point-in-time reading, and the issuer’s current fact sheet carries the latest value.
More ETFs statistics
Treasury and T-Bill ETF Statistics (2026)
Treasury and T-bill ETFs compared — SGOV, BIL, SHV, SHY, IEF, TLT, GOVT and VGSH yields, fees, returns and interest-rate risk.
View ResearchDividend Growth ETF Statistics (2026)
Dividend growth and dividend income ETFs compared — VIG, DGRO, NOBL, SCHD, VYM and SDY yields, fees, returns and drawdowns.
View ResearchBond ETF Statistics (2026)
Bond ETFs compared — aggregate, international, TIPS, corporate, high-yield and municipal funds by yield, fees, returns and drawdowns.
View HubMajor ETFs Compared
28 ETFs compared by expense ratio and returns.
View