SCHD vs VOO
A dedicated dividend-growth screen versus simply owning the S&P 500 — yield and income focus versus total-market simplicity. Here’s how SCHD and VOO compare for dividend investors — with a calculator for each so you can model the income yourself.
SCHD
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF
- Type
- Dividend-growth ETF
- Issuer
- Charles Schwab
- Pays
- quarterly
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which screens for companies with a long record of paying dividends plus quality and financial-strength filters. It is one of the most widely held dividend-growth ETFs, favoured for its low expense ratio and steadily rising payout.
SCHD dividend calculatorVOO
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
- Type
- Broad-market index ETF
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Pays
- quarterly
VOO tracks the S&P 500, giving exposure to 500 of the largest U.S. companies. Its dividend yield is modest because it is a total-market fund rather than an income product, but its dividend has grown over time alongside corporate earnings.
VOO dividend calculatorSCHD vs VOO dividend, side by side
Current dividend figures for SCHD and VOO as of Oct 13, 2026. Yields and payouts change — verify the latest numbers with your broker before investing.
SCHD vs VOO at a glance
| SCHD | VOO | |
|---|---|---|
| Index it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index | S&P 500 Index |
| What it owns | About 100 high-yield dividend payers | The 500 largest U.S. companies |
| Stocks held | 98 (Oct 15, 2026) | 505 (Sep 30, 2026) |
| Share in the 10 largest | 41.8% | 39.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.03% |
| Launched | Oct 20, 2011 | Sep 7, 2010 |
| Trailing dividend yield | 3.17% (Oct 13, 2026) | 1.04% (Oct 13, 2026) |
| 30-day SEC yield | 3.26% (Oct 14, 2026) | 1.00% (Sep 30, 2026) |
| Dividend growth, 2015 to 2025 | 10.6% a year | 6.0% a year |
| Total return, 1 year | 23.36% | 15.70% |
| Total return, 5 years | 9.48% a year | 13.75% a year |
| Total return, 10 years | 12.44% a year | 15.29% a year |
From Schwab’s and Vanguard’s own pages, read on October 16, 2026. Returns include reinvested dividends, use net asset value and end on September 30, 2026.
SCHD vs VOO total return by year
| Year | SCHD | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +4.45% | +17.84% |
| 2024 | +11.60% | +24.98% |
| 2023 | +4.58% | +26.25% |
| 2022 | -3.23% | -18.15% |
| 2021 | +29.78% | +28.66% |
| 2020 | +15.11% | +18.35% |
| 2019 | +27.28% | +31.46% |
| 2018 | -5.46% | -4.42% |
| 2017 | +20.88% | +21.78% |
| 2016 | +16.25% | +11.93% |
Calendar-year total return at net asset value, dividends included: SCHD from Schwab’s fact sheet, VOO from Vanguard. The higher return each year is marked.
A dividend screen vs the whole S&P 500
VOO is the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. It owns every company in the index, weighted by size, so the largest firms count most whether they pay a dividend or not. On September 30, 2026 its biggest holdings were Nvidia (8.38%), Apple (7.37%) and Microsoft (5.78%).
SCHD is a filter. Its index keeps only U.S. stocks with at least 10 straight years of dividends, then picks 100 of the highest yielders that score well on cash flow to debt, return on equity, yield and dividend growth. On October 15, 2026, its largest positions were Texas Instruments, Procter & Gamble, Qualcomm and Coca-Cola, each near 4.3% to 4.5%.
SCHD vs VOO total return, dividends included
Over the 10 calendar years from 2016 to 2025, VOO returned more in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2025. SCHD won the other 3. VOO’s best year against SCHD was 2023 (26.25% against 4.58%), a gap of 21.67 percentage points.
SCHD’s clearest win was the 2022 bear market: 2022 (-3.23% against -18.15%). It also edged ahead in 2016 and 2021.
Chained together, those yearly returns turn $10,000 at the start of 2016 into about $39,700 in VOO and $29,800 in SCHD by the end of 2025, before taxes. To September 30, 2026, VOO led over 10 years (15.29% a year against 12.44%), 5 years (13.75% against 9.48%) and 3 years (22.85% against 15.44%). SCHD led over the latest year, 23.36% against 15.70%.
Income: SCHD pays about three times the yield
Over the 12 months to Oct 13, 2026, SCHD yielded about 3.17%, VOO only about 1.04%. Schwab’s 30-day SEC yield for SCHD was 3.26% on October 14, 2026; Vanguard’s for VOO was 1.00% on September 30, 2026.
Put another way, $10,000 in SCHD paid roughly $317 over the past year at that yield, against roughly $104 from VOO. Most of VOO’s return comes from rising prices: Vanguard counts only 1.43 points of its 17.84% return in 2025 as income.
Dividend growth
SCHD’s payout per share grew 10.6% a year from 2015 to 2025, VOO’s 6.0%. SCHD grew faster in 7 of those 10 years. VOO’s yearly dividend fell once, by 4.8% in 2020, while SCHD’s rose every year.
In 2026 the order flipped for now. VOO’s first three payments added up to $5.6572 per share, 6.8% more than the same three in 2025. SCHD’s came to $0.7759, up 0.8%.
SCHD vs VOO overlap
Almost all of SCHD lives inside the S&P 500. Comparing Schwab’s October 15 list with Vanguard’s September 30 list, 45 of SCHD’s 98 stocks are in VOO, and they make up 95.0% of SCHD’s money. In VOO, those same 45 stocks add up to only 7.65%.
None of VOO’s 10 largest holdings, which include Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta, is in SCHD. The other 53 SCHD stocks are dividend payers outside the S&P 500, together about 5% of the fund.
Where the money sits
On September 30, 2026, information technology was 39.7% of VOO, financials 11.4% and communication services 9.9%. Energy (3.4%) and consumer staples (4.4%) were small.
SCHD is close to the mirror image. Grouping Schwab’s October 15 holdings by sector gives consumer staples 20.2%, health care 19.0%, energy 16.0% and technology just 12.2%. Mixes this different let the two funds move very differently in the same year.
Returns, yields, holdings and fees come from Schwab’s and Vanguard’s own pages and Schwab’s SEC prospectus. VOO’s 2026 payments match a second public record. The overlap figures come from matching every holding in the two funds. Last checked Oct 16, 2026. Sources: Schwab Asset Management — SCHD fund page; SEC — Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF summary prospectus (Feb 27, 2026); Vanguard — VOO fund page; stockanalysis.com — VOO dividend history. Past returns do not predict future ones. Not financial advice.
Related dividend guides
How SCHD and VOO differ
SCHD — SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which screens for companies with a long record of paying dividends plus quality and financial-strength filters. It is one of the most widely held dividend-growth ETFs, favoured for its low expense ratio and steadily rising payout.
VOO — VOO tracks the S&P 500, giving exposure to 500 of the largest U.S. companies. Its dividend yield is modest because it is a total-market fund rather than an income product, but its dividend has grown over time alongside corporate earnings.
In practice the choice comes down to your goal. SCHD suits an investor who wants a rising dividend over time rather than the highest starting yield, while VOO suits one who wants simple low-cost total-market growth with dividends as a secondary benefit. The two are not mutually exclusive — plenty of portfolios hold a growth-oriented fund and an income-oriented one together. What matters is matching each to its job and not judging a fund on its headline yield alone.
Rather than compare a single snapshot yield (which moves daily), open each calculator and enter current figures: the SCHD calculator and the VOO calculator. To compare long-term compounding head to head, run the same contributions through the dividend reinvestment calculator with each fund’s assumptions.
SCHD vs VOO FAQ
- Is it better to invest in SCHD or the S&P 500?
- This page does not give advice. Over the 10 years to September 30, 2026, the S&P 500 fund VOO returned more (15.29% a year against 12.44%). SCHD pays a yield about three times higher and has grown its dividend faster, and it fell far less in 2022.
- Is SCHD a good investment for the long term?
- Its record: 12.44% a year in total return over 10 years to September 30, 2026, and a dividend that rose every year from 2015 to 2025, at a cost of 0.06% a year. Past results do not promise future ones.
- What if I put $10,000 in SCHD or VOO in 2016?
- Using each fund’s calendar-year returns with dividends reinvested, $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 grew to about $29,800 in SCHD and about $39,700 in VOO by the end of 2025, before taxes and trading costs.
- Should I hold both SCHD and VOO?
- Some investors pair them. The overlap is small from VOO’s side: SCHD’s stocks are 7.65% of VOO. Adding SCHD to VOO raises the weight of energy, staples and health care and lifts the yield.
- How much do I need in SCHD or VOO for $1,000 a month?
- At the trailing yields on Oct 13, 2026, roughly $378,549 in SCHD or $1,153,846 in VOO. Both pay quarterly, so the cash arrives four times a year rather than monthly.
- What's the main difference between SCHD and VOO?
- SCHD is a dividend-growth etf from Charles Schwab; VOO is a broad-market index etf from Vanguard. A dedicated dividend-growth screen versus simply owning the S&P 500 — yield and income focus versus total-market simplicity.
- Does SCHD or VOO pay more dividends?
- As of Oct 13, 2026, SCHD yields about 3.17% and VOO about 1.04%, so SCHD currently pays the higher yield. SCHD pays quarterly; VOO pays quarterly. Yields move daily, so verify current figures and use the calculators below to model the income yourself. Higher-yield funds pay more today, while dividend-growth funds start lower and raise the payout over time.
- Which is better, SCHD or VOO?
- Neither is universally better — they suit different goals. SCHD fits an investor who wants a rising dividend over time rather than the highest starting yield; VOO fits one who wants simple low-cost total-market growth with dividends as a secondary benefit. Match the fund to your objective, time horizon, and tax situation, and consider a licensed advisor.
- Can I hold both SCHD and VOO?
- Many investors do, to blend current income with growth. Just be aware of overlap — if both hold similar large-cap US stocks, you may be less diversified than the two tickers suggest.