SCHD vs VYM
Two popular Schwab-versus-Vanguard income staples: a tight, roughly 100-stock dividend screen (SCHD) versus a broad high-yield index of about 600 stocks (VYM). Here’s how SCHD and VYM 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 calculatorVYM
Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF
- Type
- High-dividend ETF
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Pays
- quarterly
VYM tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, weighting toward established U.S. companies that pay above-average dividends. It aims for a higher current yield than the broad market while keeping a diversified, large-cap profile.
VYM dividend calculatorSCHD vs VYM dividend, side by side
Current dividend figures for SCHD and VYM as of Oct 13, 2026. Yields and payouts change — verify the latest numbers with your broker before investing.
SCHD vs VYM at a glance
| SCHD | VYM | |
|---|---|---|
| Index it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Stocks held | 98 (Sep 24, 2026) | 603 (Aug 31, 2026) |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.04% |
| Launched | Oct 20, 2011 | Nov 10, 2006 |
| Trailing dividend yield | 3.17% (Oct 13, 2026) | 2.31% (Oct 13, 2026) |
| 30-day SEC yield | 3.33% (Sep 24, 2026) | 2.20% (Aug 31, 2026) |
| Dividends paid | Quarterly | Quarterly |
| Dividend growth, 2015 to 2025 | 10.6% a year | 5.0% a year |
| Dividends per share, 2025 | $1.0476 | $3.5008 |
| Total return, 1 year | 29.45% | 20.68% |
| Total return, 5 years | 10.01% a year | 11.98% a year |
| Total return, 10 years | 13.17% a year | 11.78% a year |
Fund facts from Schwab’s and Vanguard’s own pages, read on September 26, 2026. Returns are at net asset value with dividends reinvested, to August 31, 2026. Dividends per share are split-adjusted and grouped by ex-dividend date.
SCHD vs VYM returns by year
| Year | SCHD | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +4.45% | +15.43% |
| 2024 | +11.60% | +17.60% |
| 2023 | +4.58% | +6.53% |
| 2022 | -3.23% | -0.42% |
| 2021 | +29.78% | +26.14% |
| 2020 | +15.11% | +1.14% |
| 2019 | +27.28% | +24.20% |
| 2018 | -5.46% | -5.87% |
| 2017 | +20.88% | +16.42% |
| 2016 | +16.25% | +16.87% |
Calendar-year total return at net asset value: SCHD from Schwab’s fact sheet, VYM from Vanguard. The higher return each year is marked.
Two ways to pick dividend stocks
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index. Schwab describes it as focused on the quality and sustainability of dividends, with stocks chosen for financial strength compared with their peers. The result is a tight list: 98 stocks on September 24, 2026.
VYM tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index. Vanguard says it holds U.S. stocks forecast to have above-average dividend yields and leaves out real estate investment trusts (REITs). That net is much wider: 603 stocks on August 31, 2026. Both funds weight their holdings by company size.
SCHD vs VYM dividend yield
SCHD yields more at the moment. As of Oct 13, 2026, its trailing yield was about 3.17%, against about 2.31% for VYM. The funds’ own 30-day SEC yields tell the same story: 3.33% for SCHD on September 24, 2026 and 2.20% for VYM on August 31, 2026.
Per share, VYM pays more dollars, $3.5008 in 2025 against $1.0476 for SCHD. That is only because one VYM share costs far more than one SCHD share. Yield is the fair way to compare the income.
Dividend growth: SCHD has raised faster
From 2015 to 2025, SCHD’s payout per share grew 10.6% a year and VYM’s 5.0% a year. SCHD’s grew faster in 7 of those 10 years. Neither fund paid less in any of those years than in the year before.
The gap has been clearest lately. VYM’s yearly payout was almost flat in 2024 (up 0.5%) and 2025 (up 0.2%), while SCHD’s rose 12.2% and 5.3%. In 2026 the picture flipped for now: VYM’s first three payments are 6.8% above the same three in 2025, and SCHD’s are 0.8% higher.
SCHD vs VYM performance: they have taken turns
Over the 10 calendar years from 2016 to 2025, each fund came out ahead five times. VYM did better in 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, and SCHD in the other 5, all from 2017 to 2021. The widest gap was 13.97 percentage points, in 2020 (15.11% against 1.14%), when SCHD held up far better. VYM’s biggest lead came in 2025 (15.43% against 4.45%).
Longer periods are mixed too. To August 31, 2026, SCHD was ahead over 10 years (13.17% a year against 11.78%) and over the last 12 months (29.45% against 20.68%). VYM was ahead over 5 years (11.98% against 10.01%) and 3 years (18.25% against 16.18%).
Where the money goes: sectors and overlap
SCHD leans on steady consumer and health companies. On June 30, 2026, health care (20.7%) and consumer staples (20.4%) made up about 41% of the fund, with energy next at 14.1%. Its largest holdings on September 24, 2026 included Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Merck.
VYM is more spread out and leans on banks and insurers. On August 31, 2026, financials were its biggest group at 21.1%, followed by industrials and technology at 13.7% each and health care at 13.0%. The two funds sort sectors with different systems, so the weights are close guides rather than exact matches.
The overlap runs mostly one way. Comparing Schwab’s September 24 list with Vanguard’s August 31 list, 79 of SCHD’s 98 stocks are also in VYM, and they make up 98.4% of SCHD’s assets. In VYM, those same stocks add up to only 22.0%. Of VYM’s 10 largest holdings, which include Broadcom, JPMorgan Chase and Exxon Mobil, only Chevron and Merck are in SCHD.
Returns, yields, holdings and fees come from Schwab’s and Vanguard’s own pages and fact sheet; VYM’s payments since 2015 match across two independent records, and SCHD’s across three. Last checked Sep 26, 2026. Sources: Schwab Asset Management — SCHD fund page; Schwab — SCHD fact sheet; Vanguard — VYM fund page; dividendhistory.org — VYM payouts; digrin.com — VYM dividends. Past returns do not predict future ones. Not financial advice.
Related dividend guides
How SCHD and VYM 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.
VYM — VYM tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, weighting toward established U.S. companies that pay above-average dividends. It aims for a higher current yield than the broad market while keeping a diversified, large-cap profile.
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 VYM suits one who wants a higher current yield from a diversified large-cap base. 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 VYM 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 VYM FAQ
- Which is better, SCHD or VYM?
- Neither wins on every measure. SCHD has the higher yield right now and has grown its dividend about twice as fast since 2015. VYM is spread across about six times as many stocks, costs slightly less (0.04% against 0.06%) and has had the better returns over the last 3 and 5 years.
- Is VYM or SCHD better for retirement?
- This page cannot say what suits you. For income today, SCHD’s yield is higher. For spreading money across more companies, VYM holds far more. Both pay quarterly, and neither cut its yearly dividend from 2015 to 2025.
- Should I own both SCHD and VYM?
- Some investors do. Almost all of SCHD’s money (98.4%) sits in stocks that VYM also owns, but those stocks are only 22.0% of VYM. So adding VYM to SCHD mostly brings in VYM’s other 524 stocks, including big banks and Broadcom.
- How much SCHD do you need to make $1,000 a month?
- At SCHD’s trailing yield of about 3.17% (Oct 13, 2026), $12,000 a year would take roughly $378,549. At VYM’s 2.31%, it would take roughly $519,481. Both pay quarterly, so the money arrives four times a year.
- Does SCHD or VYM have lower fees?
- VYM, by a hair: 0.04% a year, or $4 per $10,000, against 0.06%, or $6 per $10,000, for SCHD.
- What's the main difference between SCHD and VYM?
- SCHD is a dividend-growth etf from Charles Schwab; VYM is a high-dividend etf from Vanguard. Two popular Schwab-versus-Vanguard income staples: a tight, roughly 100-stock dividend screen (SCHD) versus a broad high-yield index of about 600 stocks (VYM).
- Does SCHD or VYM pay more dividends?
- As of Oct 13, 2026, SCHD yields about 3.17% and VYM about 2.31%, so SCHD currently pays the higher yield. SCHD pays quarterly; VYM 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 VYM?
- 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; VYM fits one who wants a higher current yield from a diversified large-cap base. Match the fund to your objective, time horizon, and tax situation, and consider a licensed advisor.
- Can I hold both SCHD and VYM?
- 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.