VIG vs SCHD
Two heavyweight dividend-growth ETFs with different index rules — VIG leans quality-and-growth, SCHD adds a higher-yield screen. Here’s how VIG and SCHD compare for dividend investors — with a calculator for each so you can model the income yourself.
VIG
Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF
- Type
- Dividend-growth ETF
- Issuer
- Vanguard
- Pays
- quarterly
VIG tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, holding companies with a record of raising dividends while excluding the very highest yielders. It is one of the largest dividend-growth ETFs, favoured for quality and a rising payout over a high starting yield.
VIG dividend calculatorSCHD
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 calculatorVIG vs SCHD dividend, side by side
Current dividend figures for VIG and SCHD as of Oct 13, 2026. Yields and payouts change — verify the latest numbers with your broker before investing.
VIG vs SCHD at a glance
| VIG | SCHD | |
|---|---|---|
| Index it tracks | S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Main entry rule | Raised its dividend every year for 10+ years; top 25% of yields left out | Paid a dividend every year for 10+ years; picked from high yielders |
| Stocks held | 333 (Sep 30, 2026) | 98 (Oct 15, 2026) |
| Share in the 10 largest | 34.5% | 41.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.06% |
| Launched | Apr 21, 2006 | Oct 20, 2011 |
| Trailing dividend yield | 1.52% (Oct 13, 2026) | 3.17% (Oct 13, 2026) |
| 30-day SEC yield | 1.51% (Sep 30, 2026) | 3.26% (Oct 14, 2026) |
| Dividend growth, 2015 to 2025 | 6.9% a year | 10.6% a year |
| Dividends per share, 2025 | $3.558 | $1.0476 |
| Total return, 1 year | 9.77% | 23.36% |
| Total return, 3 years | 16.51% a year | 15.44% a year |
| Total return, 10 years | 12.86% a year | 12.44% a year |
From Vanguard’s and Schwab’s own pages and prospectuses, read on October 16, 2026. Total returns assume dividends were reinvested, are based on net asset value, and stop at September 30, 2026. Dividends per share are grouped by ex-dividend date.
VIG vs SCHD returns by year
| Year | VIG | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +14.18% | +4.45% |
| 2024 | +17.02% | +11.60% |
| 2023 | +14.46% | +4.58% |
| 2022 | -9.79% | -3.23% |
| 2021 | +23.64% | +29.78% |
| 2020 | +15.46% | +15.11% |
| 2019 | +29.71% | +27.28% |
| 2018 | -2.02% | -5.46% |
| 2017 | +22.22% | +20.88% |
| 2016 | +11.84% | +16.25% |
Calendar-year total return at net asset value: VIG from Vanguard, SCHD from Schwab’s fact sheet. The higher return each year is marked.
Opposite rules on yield
Both funds want companies with a long dividend record, but they treat yield in opposite ways. S&P says VIG’s index takes U.S. companies that raised their dividend every year for at least 10 years in a row. Then it drops the 25% of those companies with the highest yields.
SCHD does nearly the reverse. Schwab’s prospectus says its index starts with stocks that have paid a dividend for at least 10 straight years. From the highest yielders it then picks 100, judged on cash flow to total debt, return on equity, dividend yield and five-year dividend growth. No stock may pass 4% of the index.
So VIG favors steady raisers whose yields are modest, and SCHD hunts for cash-rich companies with a big payout today. Neither fund owns REITs.
VIG vs SCHD dividend yield
That rule gap shows up in the yield. On Oct 13, 2026, SCHD’s trailing yield was about 3.17% and VIG’s about 1.52%. The funds’ own 30-day SEC yields agree: 3.26% for SCHD on October 14, 2026 and 1.51% for VIG on September 30, 2026.
In dollars, $10,000 in VIG would have paid roughly $152 over the past year at that yield, and $10,000 in SCHD roughly $317. VIG pays more per share ($3.558 in 2025 against $1.0476) only because a VIG share costs far more.
Which raised its dividend faster?
Over ten years, SCHD. Its payout per share grew 10.6% a year from 2015 to 2025, against 6.9% for VIG, and it grew faster in 8 of those 10 years. VIG was quicker only in 2021 (15.8% against 10.9%) and 2023 (7.9% against 3.8%).
The last five years were a tie. From 2020 to 2025 both grew about 9.2% a year. Neither fund paid less in any year from 2015 to 2025. In 2026, VIG’s first three payments came to $2.7617, 3.3% above the same three in 2025, while SCHD’s came to $0.7759, up 0.8%.
VIG vs SCHD performance
Counting dividends, VIG has usually come out ahead. Of the 10 calendar years from 2016 to 2025, SCHD returned more in 2016, 2021 and 2022, and VIG in the other 7. The widest gap was 9.88 percentage points, in 2023 (14.46% against 4.58%). SCHD’s biggest win came in the 2022 sell-off: 2022 (-3.23% against -9.79%).
Run through those yearly returns, $10,000 put in each fund at the start of 2016 grew to about $34,200 in VIG and $29,800 in SCHD by the end of 2025, before taxes.
The last year broke the pattern. In the 12 months to September 30, 2026, SCHD returned 23.36% and VIG 9.77%. Over longer windows to that date VIG still led: 16.51% a year against 15.44% over three years, 10.72% against 9.48% over five, and 12.86% against 12.44% over ten.
Do VIG and SCHD overlap?
Less than their names suggest. Comparing Schwab’s October 15 list with Vanguard’s September 30 list, 33 stocks sit in both funds. They make up 56.9% of SCHD’s money but only 14.5% of VIG’s.
The big names differ most. None of VIG’s 10 largest holdings, led by Microsoft, Apple, Broadcom, Eli Lilly and JPMorgan Chase, is in SCHD. Two of SCHD’s top 10, the oil producers Chevron and ConocoPhillips, are not in VIG at all.
Sectors: tech and banks vs staples and oil
VIG leans on technology and finance. On September 30, 2026, Vanguard listed information technology at 26.7%, financials at 21.0% and health care at 18.6%. Energy was just 3.6%.
SCHD leans on steady consumer brands, drug makers and oil. Adding up Schwab’s October 15 holdings file by sector gives consumer staples 20.2%, health care 19.0%, energy 16.0% and information technology 12.2%. SCHD’s energy weight is more than four times VIG’s.
Index rules come from S&P and the funds’ SEC prospectuses. Returns, yields, holdings and fees come from Vanguard and Schwab. Overlap is counted from both full holdings lists. Last checked Oct 16, 2026. Sources: S&P Dow Jones Indices — S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index; Vanguard — VIG fund page; SEC — Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF summary prospectus (May 28, 2026); Schwab Asset Management — SCHD fund page; SEC — Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF summary prospectus (Feb 27, 2026). Past returns do not predict future ones. Not financial advice.
Related dividend guides
How VIG and SCHD differ
VIG — VIG tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, holding companies with a record of raising dividends while excluding the very highest yielders. It is one of the largest dividend-growth ETFs, favoured for quality and a rising payout over a high starting yield.
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.
In practice the choice comes down to your goal. VIG suits an investor who wants a rising dividend over time rather than the highest starting yield, while SCHD suits one who wants a rising dividend over time rather than the highest starting yield. 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 VIG calculator and the SCHD calculator. To compare long-term compounding head to head, run the same contributions through the dividend reinvestment calculator with each fund’s assumptions.
VIG vs SCHD FAQ
- Which is better, VIG or SCHD?
- It depends on what you want from the fund; this page does not give advice. SCHD pays about twice the yield and grew its dividend faster since 2015. VIG costs a little less, holds more than three times as many stocks, and returned more in 7 of the last 10 calendar years.
- Is VIG a good long-term investment?
- Its record: 12.86% a year in total return over the 10 years to September 30, 2026, a dividend that rose every year from 2015 to 2025, and a 0.04% fee. Past returns do not promise future ones.
- Can I own both VIG and SCHD?
- Many investors do, and the overlap is small. The 33 stocks they share are 14.5% of VIG, so adding SCHD mostly brings in its energy and consumer staples names and a higher yield.
- How much does $100,000 in VIG or SCHD pay a year?
- At the trailing yields on Oct 13, 2026, about $1,520 from VIG and about $3,170 from SCHD. Both pay four times a year, in March, June, September and December.
- Does VIG or SCHD have lower fees?
- VIG: 0.04% a year, which is $4 on $10,000. SCHD charges 0.06%, or $6 on $10,000.
- What's the main difference between VIG and SCHD?
- VIG is a dividend-growth etf from Vanguard; SCHD is a dividend-growth etf from Charles Schwab. Two heavyweight dividend-growth ETFs with different index rules — VIG leans quality-and-growth, SCHD adds a higher-yield screen.
- Does VIG or SCHD pay more dividends?
- As of Oct 13, 2026, VIG yields about 1.52% and SCHD about 3.17%, so SCHD currently pays the higher yield. VIG pays quarterly; SCHD 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, VIG or SCHD?
- Neither is universally better — they suit different goals. VIG fits an investor who wants a rising dividend over time rather than the highest starting yield; SCHD fits one who wants a rising dividend over time rather than the highest starting yield. Match the fund to your objective, time horizon, and tax situation, and consider a licensed advisor.
- Can I hold both VIG and SCHD?
- 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.