ETF Versus

IJH vs VUG

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF vs Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IJH iShares

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.31%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $104.0B ER: 0.05% Yield: 1.31% Since: May 22, 2000
VUG Vanguard

Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.45%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $179.8B ER: 0.03% Yield: 0.45% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VUG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.05%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. VUG has edged ahead over the past year (18.0% vs 16.1%). Income investors may prefer IJH for its higher yield (1.3% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric IJH VUG
Expense Ratio 0.05% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.3% 0.5%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Mid Cap US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 98 121 144 167 190 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IJH +28.1%
VUG +66.0%

Performance Comparison

Period IJH VUG Difference
1 Month -5.55% -4.47% -1.08%
3 Months +1.78% -9.18% +10.96%
6 Months +3.54% -8.28% +11.82%
YTD +1.78% -9.18% +10.96%
1 Year +16.09% +18.01% -1.92%
3 Years +36.14% +77.18% -41.04%
5 Years +28.09% +66.01% -37.92%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IJH Fees VUG Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $100 $60 $40
$10.000 20 years $430 $258 $171
$10.000 30 years $1.388 $835 $553
$50.000 10 years $499 $299 $199
$50.000 30 years $6.941 $4.176 $2.765
$100.000 30 years $13.882 $8.352 $5.531

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IJH VUG
Annualized Volatility 19.8% 22.2%
Max Drawdown -24.6% -36.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.12 0.37

Dividend Comparison

Metric IJH VUG
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.89 $1.99
Dividend Yield 1.31% 0.45%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IJH Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.92%
Casey's General Stores, Inc.CASY0.84%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.78%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.76%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.72%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.70%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.67%
US Foods Holding Corp.USFD0.64%
FabrinetFN0.63%
Burlington Stores, Inc.BURL0.62%

VUG Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL12.23%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG4.49%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META4.44%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.41%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO3.95%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.58%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.82%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VUG if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose IJH if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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