Statistics · 2026 · ETFs
Dividend Growth ETF Statistics (2026)
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) returned 23.9% over the past year with dividends reinvested, the best of the 6 dividend ETFs here, as of October 2, 2026. ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL) returned 7.6%. Over five years the group's median was 10.2% a year, against 13.9% for the S&P 500.
Key takeaways
- Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF led the past year at 23.9% and ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF trailed at 7.6%, a 16.3-point gap.
- The growth group had the higher median return on 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year horizons, while the yield group led on 1-year.
- Trailing yields run from 1.55% (VIG) to 3.22% (SCHD), against 0.99% for the S&P 500 fund SPY.
- Expense ratios range from 0.04% to 0.35%, which is $4 to $35 a year per $10,000.
- 0 of 6 funds beat SPY over five years, and 0 did over three.
- Issuers list 71 stocks in NOBL to 603 in VYM (dates in the rules table); SCHD's is an index count.
Which dividend growth and income ETFs performed best?
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF returned 23.9% over one year with dividends reinvested, the highest of the 6 funds. Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF led over five years at 11.8% a year, and ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF trailed at 6.4%. The S&P 500 fund SPY returned 13.9% a year.
Each return runs from a month-end close to the October 2, 2026 price and is annualized over the actual days: the one-year figure covers September 30, 2025 to October 2, 2026, so it will not match an issuer's month-end one-year return.
1. One-year gap: 16.3 percentage points
SCHD returned 23.9% and NOBL returned 7.6% over the past year (WealthyBud data · 6 dividend ETFs, 1-yr total return · October 2, 2026).
2. Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF led the three-year run at 17.9% a year
VYM compounded at 17.9% a year over three years and NOBL at 9.3%, a spread of 8.6 points (WealthyBud data · 3-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
3. Five-year spread: 5.4 points a year
VYM returned 11.8% a year and NOBL 6.4% (WealthyBud data · 5-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
4. Ten-year leader: DGRO at 13.2% a year
SDY ranked last at 8.9% a year; 0 of 6 funds beat SPY's 15.3% (WealthyBud data · 10-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
| Ticker | Fund | Expense ratio | 1-yr total return | 5-yr total return (ann.) | Volatility (ann.) | Trailing yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DGRO | iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | 0.08% | 13.5% | 11.1% | 13.5% | 1.97% |
| NOBL | ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF | 0.35% | 7.6% | 6.4% | 15.3% | 2.16% |
| SCHD | Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF | 0.06% | 23.9% | 9.6% | 15.1% | 3.22% |
| SDY | State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF | 0.35% | 8.1% | 7.4% | 14.6% | 2.56% |
| VIG | Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF | 0.04% | 10.6% | 10.9% | 13.6% | 1.55% |
| VYM | Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF | 0.04% | 13.7% | 11.8% | 13.9% | 2.35% |
| SPY | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 0.0945% | 16.7% | 13.9% | 15.7% | 0.99% |
Dividend growth or high yield: which did better?
The growth group had the higher median return on 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year horizons, while the yield group led on 1-year. The 3-fund growth group (DGRO, NOBL, and VIG) had a median five-year return of 10.9% a year, and the 3-fund yield group (SCHD, SDY, and VYM) had 9.6%. The yield group paid the higher median yield, 2.56% against 1.97%.
5. Median 1-year return: yield group 13.7%, growth group 10.6%
The 3 yield funds (SCHD, SDY, and VYM) had a median one-year total return of 13.7%; the 3 growth funds (DGRO, NOBL, and VIG) had 10.6%. The best single fund, SCHD, is in the yield group (WealthyBud data · median of 3 funds per group · October 2, 2026).
6. Median 5-year return: growth group 10.9%, yield group 9.6%
Over five years the growth group's median was 10.9% a year against 9.6%, a gap of 1.3 points. Over ten years the medians were 13.0% and 11.4% (WealthyBud data · median of 3 funds per group · October 2, 2026).
7. The yield group paid 2.56% versus 1.97%
Median trailing yield was 2.56% for SCHD, SDY, and VYM and 1.97% for DGRO, NOBL, and VIG. On $10,000, that is about $256 versus $197 in a year. 6 of the 6 funds out-yield SPY at 0.99% (WealthyBud data · trailing-12-month distributions / price · October 2, 2026).
| Group | n | 1-yr | 3-yr (ann.) | 5-yr (ann.) | 10-yr (ann.) | Volatility | Max drawdown | Trailing yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend growth | 3 | 10.6% | 16.8% | 10.9% | 13.0% | 13.6% | 21.9% | 1.97% |
| High yield / income | 3 | 13.7% | 15.6% | 9.6% | 11.4% | 14.6% | 24.0% | 2.56% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | 1 | 16.7% | 23.1% | 13.9% | 15.3% | 15.7% | 23.9% | 0.99% |
Groups follow each fund's index category. SCHD and SDY also screen on dividend history, so the yield group is not a pure-yield basket.
How do these funds pick their stocks?
Each fund follows an index with its own rule. NOBL needs 25 or more years of dividend increases, SDY needs 20, and SCHD needs 10 years of dividend payments. VIG and DGRO say only that holdings have grown dividends. VYM picks stocks forecast to pay above-average yields. Issuer holdings counts run from 71 to 603; the table dates each.
8. NOBL holds companies with 25+ years of dividend increases
ProShares says NOBL holds companies that “increased their dividends for at least 25 years,” the Dividend Aristocrats rule. It held 71 stocks as of August 31, 2026 (ProShares).
9. SDY needs 20 years of increases, then weights by yield
State Street says the index “screens for companies that have consistently increased their dividend for at least 20 consecutive years, and weights the stocks by yield.” It lists 155 holdings as of October 1, 2026 (State Street).
10. SCHD needs 10 years of payments, not 10 years of increases
Index stocks “must have sustained at least 10 consecutive years of dividend payments,” per the summary prospectus. Dividend growth is one of four ranking factors.
11. VIG holds 333 stocks and DGRO holds 390
Vanguard says VIG's index holds companies with “a record of increasing dividends over time” and lists 333 stocks (Vanguard, August 31, 2026). iShares says DGRO tracks “U.S. stocks with a history of growing their dividends” and lists 390 holdings (iShares, October 1, 2026).
12. VYM holds 603 stocks, 8.5 times the count in NOBL
Vanguard says the index tracks stocks “forecasted to have above-average dividend yields” (Vanguard, August 31, 2026), against 71 for NOBL (issuer counts, different dates).
| Fund | Group | Index | Selection rule (shortened) | Holdings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DGRO | Growth | Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index | U.S. stocks with a history of growing their dividends | 390 (October 1, 2026) |
| NOBL | Growth | S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index | S&P 500 companies that have increased dividends for at least 25 years | 71 (August 31, 2026) |
| VIG | Growth | S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index | Stocks of companies with a record of increasing dividends over time | 333 (August 31, 2026) |
| SCHD | Yield | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index | 100 stocks with 10+ consecutive years of dividend payments, ranked on four fundamentals | 100 index components |
| SDY | Yield | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index | Highest-yielding S&P 1500 stocks with 20+ years of dividend increases, yield-weighted | 155 (October 1, 2026) |
| VYM | Yield | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index | Stocks forecast to have above-average dividend yields | 603 (August 31, 2026) |
Compare major ETFs by fees and returns
How much do dividend ETFs cost?
Expense ratios run from 0.04% for VIG and VYM to 0.35% for NOBL and SDY, which is $4 to $35 a year on $10,000. The median of the 6 funds is 0.07%. The S&P 500 fund SPY charges 0.0945%, so the cheapest dividend funds cost less than it.
13. VIG and VYM cost 0.04%; NOBL and SDY cost 0.35%
The priciest funds charge 8.75 times the cheapest, a gap of $31 a year per $10,000 (WealthyBud data · issuer-verified expense ratios · October 2, 2026).
14. Median expense ratio: growth group 0.08%, yield group 0.06%
DGRO, NOBL, and VIG have a median of 0.08% and SCHD, SDY, and VYM have 0.06%. Fees within a group differ by up to 0.31 points (WealthyBud data · expense_ratio, 3 funds per group · October 2, 2026).
How volatile are dividend ETFs?
ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF was the most volatile at 15.3% annualized, and iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF the least at 13.5%. The deepest month-end based drawdown was 25.1% (SDY) and the shallowest 20.2% (VIG). The S&P 500 fund SPY measured 15.7% and 23.9%.
15. Volatility ranged from 13.5% to 15.3%
DGRO was the calmest and NOBL the most volatile. Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of the last 60 complete monthly returns through September 30, 2026. 6 of 6 funds moved less than SPY at 15.7% (WealthyBud data · monthly returns per fund · October 2, 2026).
16. Median drawdown: growth group 21.9%, yield group 24.0%
The growth group's median volatility was 13.6% and the yield group's 14.6%. The growth group's median drawdown was 21.9% and the yield group's was 24.0%. Drawdown window: 121 month-end prices from September 30, 2016 to September 30, 2026 plus the October 2, 2026 price; lows within a month are not captured and the dataset does not record when each low occurred. (WealthyBud data · median of 3 funds per group · October 2, 2026).
17. 4 of 6 funds had a shallower drawdown than the S&P 500
SPY fell 23.9% at its worst. NOBL, DGRO, SCHD, and VIG fell less; SDY and VYM did not (WealthyBud data · max drawdown vs SPY, month-end prices · October 2, 2026).
How do dividend ETFs compare with the S&P 500?
0 of the 6 dividend ETFs beat the S&P 500 fund SPY over five years, which returned 13.9% a year. Over three years 0 did, and over one year 1 did (SCHD). 6 of 6 paid a higher yield, and 6 of 6 were less volatile.
18. 0 of 6 dividend ETFs beat the S&P 500 over five years
SPY returned 13.9% a year; the best dividend fund, VYM, returned 11.8%, 2.1 points less (WealthyBud data · 5-yr annualized total return vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
19. Every dividend ETF yields more than the S&P 500 (0.99%)
SPY yields 0.99%. The lowest-yielding dividend fund, VIG, pays 1.55%, 1.6 times as much; the highest, SCHD, pays 3.22% (WealthyBud data · trailing yield vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
What this means for income investors
Growth versus yield is not settled. The growth group had the higher median return on 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year horizons, while the yield group led on 1-year. With 3 funds per group, one fund can move a median.
Read the rule, not the label. A 25-year streak (NOBL) gives 71 holdings; holdings counts across the six run from 71 to 603. For single stocks, see our dividend stock statistics.
Compare the S&P 500 and other income sources. 0 of 6 dividend funds beat SPY over five years. For bond income, see dividend and bond ETF statistics; for option income, see covered call ETF statistics. Past returns are not forecasts.
More ETFs statistics
Dividend Stock Statistics (2026)
How many large-cap U.S. stocks pay a dividend, and which yield the most, from SEC-filed fundamentals.
View ResearchDividend & Bond ETF Statistics (2026)
Expense ratios, returns and volatility for dividend-equity and bond ETFs like SCHD, AGG, BND, HYG and TLT, computed from WealthyBud's fund dataset.
View ResearchCovered Call ETF Statistics (2026)
Covered-call ETFs compared — JEPI, JEPQ, QYLD, XYLD, RYLD and DIVO yields, fees and how much return they trade for income.
View HubMajor ETFs Compared
28 ETFs compared by expense ratio and returns.
View