VYM vs VOO
A higher-yield dividend tilt versus the plain S&P 500 — more income today versus more growth. Here’s how VYM and VOO compare for dividend investors — with a calculator for each so you can model the income yourself.
VYM
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 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 calculatorVYM vs VOO dividend, side by side
Current dividend figures for VYM and VOO as of Oct 13, 2026. Yields and payouts change — verify the latest numbers with your broker before investing.
VYM vs VOO at a glance
| VYM | VOO | |
|---|---|---|
| Index it tracks | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index | S&P 500 Index |
| What it owns | U.S. stocks with above-average yields | The 500 largest U.S. companies |
| Stocks held | 593 (Sep 30, 2026) | 505 (Sep 30, 2026) |
| Share in the 10 largest | 26.2% | 39.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.03% |
| Launched | Nov 10, 2006 | Sep 7, 2010 |
| Trailing dividend yield | 2.31% (Oct 13, 2026) | 1.04% (Oct 13, 2026) |
| 30-day SEC yield | 2.35% (Sep 30, 2026) | 1.00% (Sep 30, 2026) |
| Dividend growth, 2015 to 2025 | 5.0% a year | 6.0% a year |
| Total return, 1 year | 12.72% | 15.70% |
| Total return, 5 years | 11.63% a year | 13.75% a year |
| Total return, 10 years | 11.28% a year | 15.29% a year |
From Vanguard’s own fund data, read on October 16, 2026. Returns count reinvested dividends, are measured at net asset value and run to September 30, 2026.
VYM vs VOO performance by year
| Year | VYM | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +15.43% | +17.84% |
| 2024 | +17.60% | +24.98% |
| 2023 | +6.53% | +26.25% |
| 2022 | -0.42% | -18.15% |
| 2021 | +26.14% | +28.66% |
| 2020 | +1.14% | +18.35% |
| 2019 | +24.20% | +31.46% |
| 2018 | -5.87% | -4.42% |
| 2017 | +16.42% | +21.78% |
| 2016 | +16.87% | +11.93% |
Calendar-year total return at net asset value, dividends included, from Vanguard for both funds. The higher return each year is marked.
Same company, two different jobs
Both funds come from Vanguard, and both are cheap. VOO tracks the S&P 500, so it owns the 500 largest U.S. companies by size, whether they pay much or not. VYM tracks the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, which keeps U.S. stocks forecast to pay above-average dividend yields.
That one rule changes the line-up. On September 30, 2026, VYM’s largest holdings were Broadcom (6.94%), JPMorgan Chase (3.76%), Exxon Mobil (2.85%) and Johnson & Johnson (2.71%). VOO’s were Nvidia (8.38%), Apple (7.37%) and Microsoft (5.78%), none of which VYM owns.
VYM vs VOO performance, dividends included
Across the 10 calendar years from 2016 to 2025, VOO returned more in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. VYM won the other 2. The widest gap was in 2023 (26.25% against 6.53%), a difference of 19.72 percentage points.
VYM’s big win came in the 2022 sell-off: 2022 (-0.42% against -18.15%). It also beat VOO in 2016. In 2020, by contrast, VYM made just 1.14% while VOO made 18.35%.
Linked year by year, $10,000 put into each fund at the start of 2016 grew to about $29,200 in VYM and $39,700 in VOO by the end of 2025, before taxes. To September 30, 2026, VOO also led over one year (15.70% against 12.72%), five years (13.75% a year against 11.63%) and ten years (15.29% against 11.28%).
Income: VYM pays more than twice the yield
In the 12 months to Oct 13, 2026, VYM’s trailing yield was about 2.31% and VOO’s about 1.04%. On September 30, 2026, Vanguard put VYM’s 30-day SEC yield at 2.35% and VOO’s at 1.00%.
At those yields, $10,000 in VYM paid about $231 over the past year, against about $104 from VOO. Vanguard splits each year’s return into income and price: in 2025, 2.94 points of VYM’s 15.43% came from income.
Dividend growth: VOO has grown its payout faster
A higher yield does not mean faster growth. From 2015 to 2025, VYM’s dividend per share grew about 5.0% a year, and VOO’s grew about 6.0%. VYM’s payout rose every year in that span, while VOO’s dipped once, in 2020.
VYM’s growth also slowed lately: its yearly payout rose only 0.5% in 2024 and 0.2% in 2025. In 2026 both funds look stronger. VYM’s first three payments came to $2.7281 a share and VOO’s to $5.6572, each about 6.8% more than the same three payments in 2025.
VYM vs VOO overlap
We matched every stock in Vanguard’s September 30, 2026 holdings lists. 254 stocks are in both funds. Those shared names hold 92.71% of VYM’s assets, yet just 33.26% of VOO’s.
So almost all of VYM sits inside the S&P 500, but VYM covers only about a third of it. Of VOO’s 10 largest holdings, only Broadcom is also in VYM. The rest of VYM, about 7% of the fund, is dividend payers outside the S&P 500.
Where the money sits
By Vanguard’s sector labels, VYM put 20.4% in financials, 14.3% in technology, 13.6% in industrials, 13.4% in health care and 10.1% in energy on September 30, 2026. It held no real estate.
VOO is far more tilted to tech: information technology alone was 39.7% of the fund on the same date, using the S&P sector groups.
Returns, yields, fees and holdings for both funds come from Vanguard’s own data. Dividend totals come from each fund’s researched guide, checked against three public records. The overlap comes from matching every holding in the two funds. Last checked Oct 16, 2026. Sources: Vanguard — VYM fund page; Vanguard — VOO fund page; stockanalysis.com — VYM dividend history; stockanalysis.com — VOO dividend history. Past returns do not predict future ones. Not financial advice.
Related dividend guides
How VYM and VOO differ
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.
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. VYM suits an investor who wants a higher current yield from a diversified large-cap base, 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 VYM 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.
VYM vs VOO FAQ
- Is VYM or VOO better for the long term?
- This page does not give advice. Over the 10 years to September 30, 2026, VOO returned more (15.29% a year against 11.28%). VYM pays a higher yield and fell much less in 2022.
- Is VYM a good retirement investment?
- It is a low-cost, broad dividend fund: 0.04% a year, 593 stocks and a dividend that rose every year from 2015 to 2025. Whether it suits a retirement plan depends on your needs; past results do not promise future ones.
- What would $10,000 in VYM or VOO from 2016 be worth?
- Using Vanguard’s calendar-year returns with dividends reinvested, $10,000 at the start of 2016 became about $29,200 in VYM and $39,700 in VOO by the end of 2025, before taxes and trading costs.
- Should I own both VYM and VOO?
- Some investors do. Most of VYM is already inside VOO, so pairing them mostly shifts weight toward VYM’s holdings, such as banks and energy companies, and raises the yield. It adds few new companies.
- How big a VYM or VOO holding pays $1,000 a month?
- Using trailing yields from Oct 13, 2026, about $519,481 of VYM would do it, against about $1,153,846 of VOO. Neither pays monthly; both pay four times a year.
- What's the main difference between VYM and VOO?
- VYM is a high-dividend etf from Vanguard; VOO is a broad-market index etf from Vanguard. A higher-yield dividend tilt versus the plain S&P 500 — more income today versus more growth.
- Does VYM or VOO pay more dividends?
- As of Oct 13, 2026, VYM yields about 2.31% and VOO about 1.04%, so VYM currently pays the higher yield. VYM 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, VYM or VOO?
- Neither is universally better — they suit different goals. VYM fits an investor who wants a higher current yield from a diversified large-cap base; 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 VYM 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.