Statistics · 2026 · ETFs
REIT ETF Statistics (2026)
USRT led the 6 REIT ETFs over five years at 4.1% a year with dividends reinvested, while the S&P 500 fund SPY returned 13.9%; none of the 6 funds beat SPY over that period. Trailing yields ran from 2.52% (IYR) to 3.81% (VNQ), as of October 2, 2026.
Key takeaways
- Five-year returns ran from 1.1% (IYR) to 4.1% (USRT) a year; none of the 6 funds beat SPY over that period.
- Expense ratios run from 0.07% (SCHH) to 0.37% (IYR), or $7 to $37 per $10,000 a year.
- Trailing yields ran from 2.52% to 3.81%, all above SPY’s 0.99%.
- Worst drawdowns (month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured) ran from 29.4% to 32.8%, against 23.9% for SPY.
- From July 2021 to July 2026 the Case-Shiller home price index rose 27.1%; the funds’ price returns over those months ran from -6.9% to 11.1%.
Which REIT ETFs performed best?
Over one year USRT returned the most at 7.8%; over five years USRT returned the most at 4.1% a year, among the 6 REIT ETFs. IYR returned the least over five years at 1.1% a year. Returns include reinvested dividends.
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: 7.8 percentage points
USRT returned 7.8% and IYR returned 0.0% over the one-year window, September 30, 2025 to October 2, 2026 (WealthyBud data · 6 funds, total return · October 2, 2026).
2. USRT led the three-year run at 12.4% a year
USRT compounded at 12.4% a year over three years and IYR at 9.2%, a 3.1-point spread (WealthyBud data · 3-yr annualized, all funds · October 2, 2026).
3. Five-year spread: 2.9 points a year between USRT and IYR
USRT returned 4.1% a year and IYR 1.1%. The five-year window is September 30, 2021 to October 2, 2026 (WealthyBud data · 5-yr annualized, all funds · October 2, 2026).
4. Ten-year: XLRE 5.8% a year, SCHH 3.2%
All 6 funds have the full 121 month-end history (September 30, 2016 to October 2, 2026). The spread was 2.6 points a year, and the ten-year leader (XLRE) differs from the five-year leader (USRT) (WealthyBud data · 10-yr annualized · October 2, 2026).
| Ticker | Fund | Expense ratio | 1-yr total return | 5-yr total return (ann.) | Volatility (ann.) | Trailing yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IYR | iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF | 0.37% | 0.0% | 1.1% | 19.1% | 2.52% |
| REET | iShares Global REIT ETF | 0.14% | 3.9% | 1.9% | 17.9% | 3.63% |
| SCHH | Schwab U.S. REIT ETF | 0.07% | 4.9% | 2.2% | 18.8% | 3.09% |
| USRT | iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF | 0.08% | 7.8% | 4.1% | 18.9% | 2.85% |
| VNQ | Vanguard Real Estate ETF | 0.13% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 19.2% | 3.81% |
| XLRE | State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 0.3% | 1.7% | 19.3% | 3.54% |
| SPY | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 0.0945% | 16.7% | 13.9% | 15.7% | 0.99% |
How much do REIT ETFs cost?
Expense ratios run from 0.07% for SCHH to 0.37% for IYR, with a median of 0.105%. On $10,000 that is $7 to $37 a year. For comparison, the S&P 500 fund SPY charges 0.0945%. Each fee comes from the issuer’s page.
5. SCHH costs 0.07%; IYR costs 0.37%
SCHH is the cheapest of the 6 funds and IYR the most expensive, a 5.3-fold gap. (WealthyBud data · issuer-verified expense ratios · October 2, 2026).
Compare major ETFs by fees and returns
What do REIT ETFs yield?
Trailing yields ran from 2.52% for IYR to 3.81% for VNQ, with a median of 3.31%. SPY’s was 0.99%. Yield is the last 365 days of distributions divided by the latest price, so a change in either distributions or price moves it.
6. VNQ had the highest trailing yield at 3.81%
VNQ led the group, and IYR had the lowest at 2.52%. The group’s yields were 2.6 to 3.9 times SPY’s (WealthyBud data · trailing yield · October 2, 2026).
7. $381 a year per $10,000 in VNQ, against $99 in SPY
WealthyBud’s calculation: at the trailing rate, $10,000 in VNQ received $381 and $10,000 in IYR $252. These are past distributions, not a forecast, and the dataset does not split them into income and return of capital (WealthyBud data · trailing yield x $10,000 · October 2, 2026).
8. SEC: a REIT must distribute at least 90 percent of its taxable income
The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy says, in its Investor Bulletin on REITs: “To qualify as a REIT, a company must have the bulk of its assets and income connected to real estate investment and must distribute at least 90 percent of its taxable income to shareholders annually in the form of dividends.”
How volatile are REIT ETFs?
Volatility ran from 17.9% for REET to 19.3% for XLRE, against 15.7% for SPY. The worst drawdown ranged from 29.4% to 32.8%, against 23.9% for SPY. Drawdown is the worst peak-to-trough fall on month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured.
9. XLRE swung 19.3% a year; REET swung 17.9%
Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of the last 60 complete monthly returns through September 30, 2026. The 6 funds’ median was 19.0%; 0 of 6 had lower volatility than SPY (WealthyBud data · 60 monthly returns · October 2, 2026).
10. Worst drawdown (month-end): 32.8% for VNQ, 29.4% for USRT
All 6 funds and SPY share one 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. Measured that way the 6 funds’ median drawdown was 31.7% against 23.9% for SPY; 0 of 6 were shallower than SPY. (WealthyBud data · max drawdown, month-end based · October 2, 2026).
| Fund | Volatility (ann.) | Worst drawdown |
|---|---|---|
| XLRE | 19.3% | 32.3% |
| VNQ | 19.2% | 32.8% |
| IYR | 19.1% | 31.9% |
| USRT | 18.9% | 29.4% |
| SCHH | 18.8% | 31.5% |
| REET | 17.9% | 30.8% |
| SPY | 15.7% | 23.9% |
How do REIT ETFs compare with the S&P 500?
None of the 6 funds beat SPY over five years, when SPY returned 13.9% a year against a REIT ETF median of 1.8%. Over one, three and ten years the counts were 0, 0 and 0 of 6. All returns include reinvested dividends.
11. None of the 6 funds beat SPY over five years
The best REIT ETF, USRT, returned 4.1% a year against 13.9% for SPY, a gap of 9.8 points. Over one, three and ten years 0 of 6, 0 of 6 and 0 of 6 funds beat SPY (WealthyBud data · total return vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
12. SPY’s volatility was 15.7%; the REIT ETF median was 19.0%
0 of the 6 REIT ETFs had lower volatility than SPY. SPY’s worst drawdown was 23.9% (month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured), against a REIT ETF median of 31.7% (WealthyBud data · volatility and drawdown vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
How have REIT ETFs done versus stocks and home prices?
From month-end July 2021 to month-end July 2026 the Case-Shiller national home price index rose 27.1%, and SPY’s price rose 70.4%. The REIT ETFs’ price returns ran from -6.9% to 11.1%. REITs own income-producing property; the index tracks home prices.
13. Home prices rose 27.1% from July 2021 to July 2026; 6 of 6 REIT ETFs rose less on price
WealthyBud’s calculation from the FRED series CSUSHPINSA (index Jan 2000=100, not seasonally adjusted, monthly): 265.432 in July 2021 to 337.306 in July 2026, or 4.9% a year. Fund figures use each fund’s last close in the same two months. Case-Shiller is a price index, not a total return, so the like-for-like comparison is the funds’ price return. With dividends reinvested, 5 of 6 funds still rose less than the index (total returns 11.9% to 28.8%) (WealthyBud data · matched months · October 2, 2026).
14. The latest Case-Shiller reading in the dataset is July 2026
The fund returns above run to October 2, 2026, so the two windows differ. The table in this section therefore uses month-end closes for July 2021 and July 2026; the five-year returns elsewhere on this page (September 30, 2021 to October 2, 2026) should not be set against it (WealthyBud data · window comparison · October 2, 2026).
15. Nareit: 155 equity REITs had an equity market capitalization of $1,374,122.4 million at year-end 2025
Nareit’s market capitalization table for the FTSE Nareit Real Estate Index lists 195 REITs at the end of 2025, of which 155 were equity REITs with $1,374,122.4 million of equity market capitalization. Nareit’s REIT overview says REITs “invest in the majority of real estate property types, including offices, apartment buildings, warehouses, retail centers, medical facilities, data centers, cell towers and hotels.”
| Series | Price return / index change | Total return (dividends reinvested) |
|---|---|---|
| S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index (NSA) | 27.1% | not applicable (price index) |
| USRT | 11.1% | 28.8% |
| SCHH | 1.7% | 17.5% |
| IYR | -1.5% | 11.9% |
| REET | -1.7% | 15.3% |
| XLRE | -2.8% | 14.9% |
| VNQ | -6.9% | 12.8% |
| SPY | 70.4% | 82.3% |
What the funds hold, per the issuers:
- Vanguard says VNQ tracks “a benchmark index that measures the performance of publicly traded equity REITs and other real estate-related investments.”
- Schwab’s prospectus says the index behind SCHH “generally includes all publicly traded equity real estate investment trusts (REITs)...”
- State Street says the XLRE index “includes companies from the following industries: real estate management and development and REITs, excluding mortgage REITs.”
- iShares says IYR tracks “an index composed of U.S. equities in the real estate sector,” USRT “U.S. real estate equities,” and REET “global real estate equities in developed and emerging markets.”
The SEC’s Investor.gov REIT page describes a REIT as “a company that owns and typically operates income-producing real estate or related assets.” That description is about income-producing property, so these funds are not a stand-in for home prices.
What this means for investors
Match the fund to the window. USRT led over five years and XLRE over ten, and the five-year spread between best and worst was 2.9 points a year.
Read yield as a past figure. For other income funds, see dividend growth ETF statistics.
Do not treat REITs as home prices. To follow housing directly, see the real estate section, rental property statistics and real estate investor statistics.
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