Statistics · 2026 · ETFs
Growth vs. Value ETF Statistics (2026)
In all 3 growth-and-value fund pairs compared, growth led over the 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year windows and value led over the 1-year window. Over ten years VUG returned 18.1% a year and VTV returned 12.3%, both with dividends reinvested, as of October 2, 2026. Over five years the growth-minus-value gaps ran from +1.6 to +4.2 points. Vanguard puts VUG’s price-to-earnings ratio at 31.0x and VTV’s at 20.6x.
Key takeaways
- Over ten years the growth-minus-value gap was VUG−VTV +5.7, IWF−IWD +6.8, SCHG−SCHV +7.8 percentage points a year for the 3 same-family pairs.
- Over one year the gaps were VUG−VTV −4.3, IWF−IWD −15.4, SCHG−SCHV −3.1 percentage points; value led in all 3 pairs.
- Vanguard lists a P/E of 31.0x for VUG and 20.6x for VTV, as of August 31, 2026.
- Expense ratios run from 0.03% for VTV and VUG to 0.18% for IWF, or $3 to $18 per $10,000 a year.
- The median value fund yielded 1.87% and the median growth fund 0.36%, a 5.2-fold difference.
- The median growth fund had annualized volatility of 20.1%, against 14.9% for the median value fund.
Which growth and value ETFs performed best?
IWD led the 7 funds over one year at 24.3% with dividends reinvested, and IWF trailed at 8.9%. Over ten years MGK ranked first at 19.1% a year and SCHV last at 11.1%. The best-to-worst spread is 15.4 points over one year and 8.1 over ten.
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 spread: 15.4 percentage points
IWD returned 24.3% over the past year and IWF returned 8.9% (WealthyBud data · 7 funds, total return · October 2, 2026). All 7 funds have 121 complete month-end prices.
2. MGK led the three-year run at 27.7% a year
MGK compounded at 27.7% a year over three years, ahead of VUG at 26.7%. SCHV came last at 18.5%, a 9.3-point spread (WealthyBud data · 3-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
3. Ten-year spread: 8.1 points a year
MGK returned 19.1% a year over ten years and SCHV returned 11.1% (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IWD | iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | 0.18% | 24.3% | 11.9% | 15.0% | 1.42% |
| IWF | iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | 0.18% | 8.9% | 13.8% | 19.3% | 0.34% |
| MGK | Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF | 0.05% | 16.6% | 15.3% | 20.9% | 0.24% |
| SCHG | Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | 0.04% | 14.3% | 15.0% | 19.9% | 0.38% |
| SCHV | Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | 0.04% | 17.4% | 10.8% | 14.9% | 1.87% |
| VTV | Vanguard Morningstar Value ETF | 0.03% | 18.8% | 12.5% | 14.0% | 1.92% |
| VUG | Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF | 0.03% | 14.5% | 14.1% | 20.4% | 0.38% |
| SPY | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 0.0945% | 16.7% | 13.9% | 15.7% | 0.99% |
How much do growth and value ETFs cost?
Expense ratios range from 0.03% for VTV and VUG to 0.18% for IWF, with a median of 0.04%. On $10,000 that is $3 to $18 a year. The S&P 500 fund SPY charges 0.0945%, and 3 of 3 growth-and-value pairs charge the same fee.
4. VTV and VUG cost 0.03% and IWF costs 0.18%
The cheapest group is VTV and VUG at 0.03%. The most expensive funds are IWF and IWD at 0.18%, a 6.0-fold difference, or $15 more a year per $10,000. The median expense ratio is 0.045% for the 4 growth funds and 0.04% for the 3 value funds (WealthyBud data · issuer-verified expense ratios · October 2, 2026).
Compare major ETFs by fees and returns
How volatile are growth and value ETFs?
MGK was the most volatile fund, with annualized volatility of 20.9%, against 14.0% for VTV. MGK had the deepest drawdown at 33.6%, and VTV the shallowest at 25.0% (month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured). Volatility measures monthly swings; drawdown measures the worst peak-to-trough fall.
5. MGK swung most: 20.9% annualized
MGK had the highest volatility, followed by VUG at 20.4%, and VTV had the lowest at 14.0%. Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of the last 60 complete monthly returns through September 30, 2026 (WealthyBud data · monthly returns per fund · October 2, 2026).
6. MGK fell 33.6% peak to trough on month-end prices
MGK had the deepest drawdown, VUG next at 33.2%. VTV fell least, at 25.0%. 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 · max drawdown · October 2, 2026).
7. Median growth fund drawdown 32.5%; median value fund 25.6% (month-end prices)
The 4 growth funds had a median worst drawdown of 32.5% and the 3 value funds 25.6% (month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured). Median volatility was 20.1% for growth and 14.9% for value (WealthyBud data · medians by style group · October 2, 2026).
How do growth and value ETFs compare with the S&P 500?
Over one year 3 of the 7 funds beat SPY's 16.7%, and over ten years 4 did, against SPY's 15.3% a year. The winners were IWF, MGK, SCHG, and VUG over ten years. All returns include reinvested dividends, and SPY is the benchmark for every comparison on this page.
8. 3 of 7 funds beat the S&P 500 fund over one year
IWD, SCHV, and VTV beat SPY's 16.7%. Over three, five and ten years 4, 3 and 4 of 7 did (WealthyBud data · 1/3/5/10-yr total return vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
9. Ten-year: 4 of 4 growth funds and 0 of 3 value funds beat SPY
SPY returned 15.3% a year over ten years. The median growth fund returned 18.5% and the median value fund 11.3% (WealthyBud data · style-group medians vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
10. 7 of 7 funds fell further than the S&P 500 fund on month-end prices; 3 of 7 had lower volatility
SPY had a worst drawdown of 23.9% (month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured) and volatility of 15.7%; IWD, SCHV, and VTV had lower volatility than SPY (WealthyBud data · volatility and drawdown vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
| Period | SPY | Median growth fund | Median value fund | Growth funds beating SPY | Value funds beating SPY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 16.7% | 14.4% | 18.8% | 0 of 4 | 3 of 3 |
| 3-year | 23.1% | 26.6% | 18.9% | 4 of 4 | 0 of 3 |
| 5-year | 13.9% | 14.5% | 11.9% | 3 of 4 | 0 of 3 |
| 10-year | 15.3% | 18.5% | 11.3% | 4 of 4 | 0 of 3 |
How big is the growth-versus-value gap?
Over ten years the growth-minus-value gap was VUG−VTV +5.7, IWF−IWD +6.8, SCHG−SCHV +7.8 points a year, and growth led in all 3 pairs. Over one year, value led in all 3 pairs. Across 12 pair-periods, growth led 9 times, value led 3 and 0 tied.
11. Growth led in 9 of 12 pair-periods; value led in 3
Pairing each growth fund with a value fund from the same index family (VUG−VTV, IWF−IWD, and SCHG−SCHV) and measuring over 1, 3, 5 and 10 years gives 12 comparisons, since every fund has 121 complete month-end prices. Growth led 9 times, value led 3 and 0 tied (WealthyBud data · growth minus value, same-family pairs · October 2, 2026).
12. VUG−VTV ten-year gap: +5.7 points a year
VUG returned 18.1% a year and VTV returned 12.3%. IWF returned 18.1% against 11.3% for IWD, and SCHG returned 18.8% against 11.1% for SCHV (WealthyBud data · 10-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
13. VUG trades at 31.0x earnings and VTV at 20.6x
Vanguard’s VUG page lists a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.0x and a price-to-book ratio of 11.6x as of August 31, 2026. The VTV page lists 20.6x and 3.2x. WealthyBud’s calculation from those figures: VUG’s P/E is 1.5 times VTV’s. Vanguard defines the ratio as the weighted average of the stocks the fund holds.
14. VUG held 147 stocks; VTV held 306
Vanguard lists 147 stocks for VUG and 306 for VTV as of August 31, 2026, so the value fund held 2.1 times as many names. Median market cap differs 15.7-fold (table below; WealthyBud’s calculation from Vanguard’s figures).
| Pair (growth − value) | 1-year | 3-year | 5-year | 10-year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VUG − VTV | −4.3 | +7.8 | +1.6 | +5.7 |
| IWF − IWD | −15.4 | +4.5 | +1.9 | +6.8 |
| SCHG − SCHV | −3.1 | +7.9 | +4.2 | +7.8 |
| Measure | VUG (growth) | VTV (value) | Growth ÷ value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price-to-earnings ratio | 31.0x | 20.6x | 1.5x |
| Median market cap | $2,801.1 billion | $178.2 billion | 15.7x |
| Number of stocks | 147 | 306 | 0.48x |
What do value ETFs pay compared with growth ETFs?
The median value fund yielded 1.87% over the last 12 months and the median growth fund yielded 0.36%. VTV and SCHV were nearly tied for the highest yield, at 1.92% and 1.87%, and MGK paid the lowest at 0.24%. The S&P 500 fund SPY yielded 0.99%. Trailing yield divides the last 12 months of dividends by the current price.
15. VTV yields 1.92%; MGK yields 0.24%
A $10,000 position in VTV paid about $192 over the last 12 months, against about $24 for MGK (WealthyBud data · trailing-12-month distributions · October 2, 2026).
16. Median value yield is 5.2 times the median growth yield
The 3 value funds had a median trailing yield of 1.87% and the 4 growth funds 0.36%. VTV, SCHV, and IWD out-yielded SPY at 0.99% (WealthyBud data · trailing yield by style group · October 2, 2026).
What this means for investors
Know which window you are reading. Over one year, value led in all 3 pairs; over five years, growth led in all 3 pairs; over ten years, growth led in all 3 pairs. A style that leads one window can trail in another. For how valuation measures work, see stock valuation statistics.
Compare what you pay for earnings. Vanguard lists 31.0x earnings for VUG and 20.6x for VTV, so VUG’s multiple is 1.5 times VTV’s.
Weigh style first, then fees. The fee gap across the 7 funds is 0.15 points a year ($15 per $10,000), while the ten-year return gap between growth and value funds was 5.7 to 7.8 points a year in the pairs measured.
Check what else you own. VUG held 147 stocks with a median market cap of $2,801.1 billion, against 306 and $178.2 billion for VTV. For mid- and small-company exposure, read small and mid cap ETF statistics. For the wider fund landscape, see ETF statistics.
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