Statistics · 2026 · ETFs
Sector ETF Statistics (2026)
Energy was the best-performing sector fund over the past year, with XLE returning 44.7% with dividends reinvested, as of October 2, 2026. Consumer Discretionary (XLY) was the worst at -7.4%. All 11 Select Sector SPDR funds charge 0.08% a year, so returns, risk and sector weight decide the choice, not fees.
Key takeaways
- Energy led the past year at 44.7%, while Consumer Discretionary returned -7.4%, a 52.1-point gap.
- Over five years, Energy returned 23.5% a year and Real Estate returned 1.7%, against 13.9% for the S&P 500 fund SPY.
- Only 2 of 11 sector funds beat SPY over five years, and just 1 did over three.
- Every sector fund charges 0.08%, or $8 per $10,000 invested each year.
- Information Technology makes up 39.9% of the S&P 500 by weight, 24 times Real Estate at 1.68%.
- Energy fell 58.2% from peak to trough (month-end prices; lows within a month are not captured), versus 23.9% for the S&P 500.
Which sector ETFs performed best?
Energy and Information Technology led the group over one year, at 44.7% and 42.3% with dividends reinvested. Over five years Energy still ranked first at 23.5% a year, ahead of 13.9% for the S&P 500. Real Estate trailed at 1.7% a year.
1. One-year gap: 52.1 percentage points
Energy (XLE) returned 44.7% over the past year and Consumer Discretionary (XLY) returned -7.4%, a spread of 52.1 points (WealthyBud data · 11 sector funds, total return · October 2, 2026). 3 of the 11 funds lost money over the period. 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.
2. Information Technology led the three-year run at 35.3% a year
Information Technology (XLK) compounded at 35.3% a year over three years, ahead of Industrials at 20.4%. SPY returned 23.1% a year, so 1 of the 11 sector funds beat the S&P 500 (WealthyBud data · 3-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
3. Five-year spread: 21.8 points a year
Energy (XLE) returned 23.5% a year and Real Estate (XLRE) returned 1.7% a year. Most funds have 121 month-end prices; XLC has 100, enough for a five-year window (WealthyBud data · 5-yr annualized total return · October 2, 2026).
4. 2 of 11 sector funds beat the S&P 500 over five years
SPY returned 13.9% a year over five years. XLE and XLK finished ahead of it. The other 9 sectors fell short (WealthyBud data · 5-yr annualized total return vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
| Ticker | Fund | Expense ratio | 1-yr total return | 5-yr total return (ann.) | Volatility (ann.) | Trailing yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLB | State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 11.0% | 6.4% | 19.5% | 1.77% |
| XLC | State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | -5.6% | 7.7% | 18.5% | 1.25% |
| XLE | State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 44.7% | 23.5% | 26.0% | 2.42% |
| XLF | State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 0.9% | 9.2% | 18.1% | 1.54% |
| XLI | State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 11.4% | 13.4% | 18.5% | 1.11% |
| XLK | State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 42.3% | 22.6% | 24.0% | 0.42% |
| XLP | State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 5.5% | 5.9% | 13.6% | 2.73% |
| XLRE | State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 0.3% | 1.7% | 19.3% | 3.54% |
| XLU | State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | -6.0% | 7.7% | 16.7% | 3.04% |
| XLV | State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | 21.3% | 7.2% | 14.8% | 1.53% |
| XLY | State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.08% | -7.4% | 5.0% | 22.6% | 0.85% |
| SPY | State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 0.0945% | 16.7% | 13.9% | 15.7% | 0.99% |
Which sectors were the most volatile?
Energy was the most volatile sector, with annualized volatility of 26.0%, 1.9 times the 13.6% of Consumer Staples. The S&P 500 fund SPY measured 15.7%. 9 of the 11 sector funds moved more than the index, so most single sectors carry extra risk.
5. Energy swung the most: 26.0% annualized
Energy (XLE) had the highest volatility, followed by Information Technology (XLK) at 24.0%. Volatility here is the annualized standard deviation of the last 60 complete monthly returns through September 30, 2026 (WealthyBud data · annualized volatility · October 2, 2026).
6. Consumer Staples moved least: 13.6%
Consumer Staples (XLP) was the calmest sector, with Health Care (XLV) next at 14.8% (WealthyBud data · annualized volatility · October 2, 2026).
7. 9 of 11 sectors were more volatile than the S&P 500
SPY measured 15.7%. The median sector fund came in at 18.5%, so a typical sector swings more from month to month than the index (WealthyBud data · annualized volatility · October 2, 2026).
Which sector ETFs pay the highest yields?
Real Estate paid the highest trailing yield at 3.54%, followed by Utilities at 3.04%. Information Technology paid the least at 0.42%. The S&P 500 fund SPY yielded 0.99%, and 9 of 11 sector funds paid more. Yield is the dividends paid in the last 12 months divided by price.
8. Real Estate yields 3.54%, Information Technology 0.42%
Trailing yield is the dividends paid over the last 12 months divided by the current price. A $10,000 position in XLRE paid about $354 over that span, against about $42 for XLK (WealthyBud data · trailing-12-month distributions · October 2, 2026).
9. 9 of 11 sector funds out-yield the S&P 500
SPY yields 0.99%. The funds that paid more were XLRE, XLU, XLP, XLE, XLB, XLF, XLV, XLC, and XLI. XLY and XLK paid less (WealthyBud data · trailing yield vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
10. The top-yielding sector ranked 11th of 11 on five-year return
Real Estate had the highest yield and a five-year return of 1.7% a year, 11th of 11. Information Technology, the lowest-yielding fund, returned 22.6% a year, 2nd of 11 (WealthyBud data · yield vs 5-yr total return · October 2, 2026).
Compare major ETFs by fees and returns
How much do sector ETFs cost?
All 11 Select Sector SPDR ETFs charge a 0.08% expense ratio, which is $8 a year on every $10,000 invested. State Street lists the same gross ratio on the XLK fund page. The S&P 500 fund SPY charges 0.0945%, or $9.45.
11. Every sector fund costs 0.08% a year
The 11 funds share one expense ratio, so fees cannot separate them (WealthyBud data · issuer-verified expense ratios · October 2, 2026). On $10,000 that is $8 a year.
12. Information Technology holds 33.4% of the group’s assets
State Street reports $128.99 billion in assets under management for XLK as of October 1, 2026, per its fund page. The 11 funds hold $386.3 billion together, summing each fund page. The smallest, Real Estate, holds $7.59 billion per its page.
How big is each sector in the S&P 500?
Information Technology is the largest sector at 39.9% of the S&P 500 by weight, followed by Financials at 11.4% and Communication Services at 9.8%. Real Estate is the smallest at 1.68%, just below Materials at 1.69%. GICS, the system that sorts companies, defines 11 sectors.
13. The top three sectors are 61.1% of the index
Information Technology, Financials, and Communication Services together carry 61.1% of the S&P 500’s weight. The weights come from the SPY holdings file and sum to 99.96%, with the remainder in cash and other items (WealthyBud data · weights as of October 1, 2026 · October 2, 2026).
14. Information Technology is 24 times the size of Real Estate
Information Technology holds 39.9% and Real Estate holds 1.68%. The four smallest sectors, Energy, Utilities, Materials, and Real Estate, add up to 8.7% (WealthyBud data · SPY sector weights · October 2, 2026).
15. NVDA alone is 8.5% of the index
The largest Information Technology company, NVDA (Nvidia Corp), weighs 8.45% of the S&P 500; the largest Financials company, BRK.B, weighs 1.41% (WealthyBud data · SPY holdings file · October 2, 2026).
16. GICS splits the market into 11 sectors
State Street describes GICS as a structure of 11 sectors, 25 industry groups, 74 industries and 163 sub-industries, per its Select Sector ETF page. Sector assignments come from the Select Sector SPDR holdings files. Of the 501 S&P 500 companies (share classes counted once), Industrials has the most (83) and Communication Services the fewest (20) (WealthyBud data · companies per sector · October 2, 2026).
| GICS sector | Sector fund | Weight in S&P 500 | Companies | Largest company (weight) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | XLK | 39.9% | 74 | NVDA (8.45%) |
| Financials | XLF | 11.4% | 76 | BRK.B (1.41%) |
| Communication Services | XLC | 9.8% | 20 | GOOGL (5.41%) |
| Health Care | XLV | 9.1% | 60 | LLY (1.39%) |
| Consumer Discretionary | XLY | 8.6% | 47 | AMZN (3.69%) |
| Industrials | XLI | 8.1% | 83 | CAT (0.57%) |
| Consumer Staples | XLP | 4.3% | 33 | WMT (0.70%) |
| Energy | XLE | 3.5% | 21 | XOM (1.02%) |
| Utilities | XLU | 1.9% | 31 | NEE (0.24%) |
| Materials | XLB | 1.7% | 26 | LIN (0.33%) |
| Real Estate | XLRE | 1.7% | 30 | WELL (0.25%) |
How far did each sector fall in its worst drawdown?
Energy had the deepest drawdown at 58.2%, measured from its highest month-end price to its lowest after that peak. Consumer Staples fell only 13.6%. The S&P 500 fund SPY fell 23.9%, and 8 of 11 sectors fell further than the index did.
- Energy (XLE) fell 58.2% from peak to trough, the deepest of the 11 funds.
- Communication Services (XLC) fell 43.5%, the second deepest; its price history is shorter (100 months, since 2018), so the window is narrower than the others.
- Consumer Discretionary (XLY) fell 36.3%, the third deepest.
17. Energy: 58.2% peak-to-trough
The drawdown uses 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; XLC has 100 month-end prices from June 29, 2018. (WealthyBud data · max drawdown, month-end prices · October 2, 2026)
18. 8 of 11 sectors fell further than the S&P 500
SPY fell 23.9% at its worst. XLE, XLC, XLY, XLRE, XLF, XLK, XLI, and XLB fell further, while the other 3 stayed shallower. XLC has a shorter history (100 months versus 121), so its drawdown covers a narrower window (WealthyBud data · max drawdown vs SPY · October 2, 2026).
What this means for investors
Fees will not pick the winner. All 11 funds cost 0.08%, so the real choice is how much of one part of the market you want. A single sector can trail the index for years: only 2 of 11 beat SPY over five years.
Match the sector to the job. Consumer Staples and Health Care had the shallowest month-end drawdowns, while Energy and Information Technology swung the most. Size positions for the drop you can sit through, not the gain you hope for.
Check what you already own. A broad S&P 500 fund already holds 39.9% in Information Technology. Adding XLK on top raises that bet further. For fund-level detail, see our ETF statistics roundup or the XLE and XLK pages.
Past returns are not forecasts. Leadership rotates, and the figures above describe history only.
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