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VOO vs SCHD

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF vs Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF

The short answer: VOO is the broad S&P 500. SCHD is a U.S. dividend-quality ETF with much smaller tech exposure and higher yield.

Metric
VOO
SCHD
Issuer
Vanguard
Charles Schwab
Benchmark
S&P 500 Index
Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
Inception
Sep 7, 2010
Oct 20, 2011
Expense Ratio(lower is better)
300 bps
600 bps
AUM(higher = more liquid)
$1.60T
$91.1B
Dividend Yield (TTM)
1.08%
3.29%
Dividend Frequency
Quarterly
Quarterly
Beta (vs S&P 500)(1 = market)
1.00
0.61
1-Year Return
26.66%
25.49%
3-Year Return (annualized)
22.51%
15.09%
5-Year Return (annualized)
13.53%
8.05%
10-Year Return (annualized)
15.33%
12.56%
Data as of May 9, 2026. Returns annualized; past performance is not indicative of future results.

Total Return

YTDVOO: 6.91% · SCHD: 6.93%
1YVOO: 26.66% · SCHD: 25.49%
3Y ann.VOO: 22.51% · SCHD: 15.09%
5Y ann.VOO: 13.53% · SCHD: 8.05%
10Y ann.VOO: 15.33% · SCHD: 12.56%

Which should you pick?

Choose VOO

Pick VOO if maximizing total return matters more than dividend income. Over the past decade VOO has crushed SCHD on total return, driven by megacap tech leadership.

Choose SCHD

Pick SCHD if you want a higher yield (~3.5%), lower drawdowns, and exposure to mature companies returning cash to shareholders. SCHD shines when value outperforms growth.

Either is fine if…

A common split for investors who want both growth and income: 70% VOO + 30% SCHD. This keeps the U.S. broad-market core but tilts modestly toward dividend-payers.

Holdings & sectors

VOO – Top Holdings

  • AAPLApple Inc7.1%
  • MSFTMicrosoft Corp6.6%
  • NVDANVIDIA Corp6.2%
  • AMZNAmazon.com Inc3.8%
  • GOOGLAlphabet Inc Class A2.2%

SCHD – Top Holdings

  • ABBVAbbVie Inc4.4%
  • KOCoca-Cola Co4.1%
  • VZVerizon Communications4.0%
  • AMGNAmgen Inc3.9%
  • PEPPepsiCo Inc3.9%

Sector Breakdown

Technology
VOO
30.0%
SCHD
9.0%
Financials
VOO
13.0%
SCHD
18.0%
Healthcare
VOO
11.0%
SCHD
16.0%
Industrials
VOO
9.0%
SCHD
11.0%
Consumer Staples
VOO
6.0%
SCHD
14.0%
Consumer Discretionary
VOO
10.0%
SCHD
7.0%
Energy
VOO
4.0%
SCHD
12.0%
Communication
VOO
9.0%
SCHD
5.0%
Materials
VOO
2.2%
SCHD
4.0%
Utilities
VOO
2.5%
SCHD
2.0%
Real Estate
VOO
2.3%
SCHD
2.0%

At a glance

Expense ratio
VOO300 bps
SCHD600 bps
AUM
VOO$1.60T
SCHD$91.1B
Dividend yield
VOO1.08%
SCHD3.29%
5Y return (ann.)
VOO13.53%
SCHD8.05%

VOO vs SCHD – FAQ

Has VOO or SCHD performed better?
VOO has won by a wide margin over the past 10 years, mostly due to megacap tech leadership. Over different market regimes (e.g., 2000–2010), value-tilted funds like SCHD often outperformed broad indices.
Is SCHD safer than VOO?
SCHD has lower beta (~0.86 vs 1.00) and historically smaller drawdowns, partly because of its quality screen and value tilt. 'Safer' on a year-to-year basis, yes — but it also lags in strong bull markets.
How much overlap do VOO and SCHD have?
Roughly 25–30% by weight. SCHD excludes most megacap tech (it requires 10 years of dividend history plus quality criteria), so the giants like NVDA, AMZN, GOOGL are absent or underweighted.
Which is better for income?
SCHD, by a meaningful margin: ~3.4% yield vs VOO's ~1.25%. On a $100K position that's roughly $3,400/yr vs $1,250/yr in dividend income.
Can I hold both VOO and SCHD?
Yes, and the combination diversifies your factor exposure. A simple split like 70/30 VOO/SCHD captures market-cap growth while adding dividend-quality factor exposure.

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