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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Vanguard’s sector ETF lineup includes 10 U.S. funds, from Information Technology (VGT) to Utilities (VPU). But the available Vanguard performance tables are dated 2026, not calendar year 2025, so they cannot show which Vanguard ETFs performed best in 2025. Below is the sector ticker list and a practical way to compare funds without confusing recent returns, yield, or distributions.
Can you identify Vanguard’s best-performing ETFs for 2025?
Not from the performance information available here. Vanguard’s ETF directory reports 116 ETF results and includes year-to-date, one-year, five-year, ten-year, and since-inception returns, but those average annual return figures are dated September 30, 2026; the listing and market data are dated October 6, 2026. They are not a calendar-year 2025 ranking. Vanguard’s ETF directory should be checked for its current date labels before comparing funds.
Vanguard Advisors’ ETF list offers another performance table, with figures dated July 31, 2026. Because its date differs from the retail directory, do not combine figures from the two lists as though they cover the same period. The adviser-facing list also provides expense ratios and fact-sheet links.
The official U.S. Sector ETFs prospectus contains financial data through the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025. That fiscal-year cutoff is not calendar-year 2025 performance, and it does not supply a comparable full-year return ranking for all Vanguard ETFs.
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Why distributions are not a performance ranking
Vanguard’s 2025 estimated year-end distributions document lists projected distributions and dates for sector ETFs. A distribution is not a total return: total return accounts for price change as well as distributions, including reinvested distributions. The separate 2025 dividend schedule is a schedule, not evidence of which funds performed best.
Vanguard U.S. sector ETF tickers
These 10 ETFs provide exposure to individual U.S. market sectors. A sector fund concentrates on one slice of the equity market; it is not a substitute for the breadth of a total-market fund.
| Sector | Ticker | Vanguard fund name |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Services | VOX | Communication Services ETF |
| Consumer Discretionary | VCR | Consumer Discretionary ETF |
| Consumer Staples | VDC | Consumer Staples ETF |
| Energy | VDE | Energy ETF |
| Financials | VFH | Financials ETF |
| Health Care | VHT | Health Care ETF |
| Industrials | VIS | Industrials ETF |
| Information Technology | VGT | Information Technology ETF |
| Materials | VAW | Materials ETF |
| Utilities | VPU | Utilities ETF |
The tickers and fund identities are drawn from Vanguard’s sector prospectus and current ETF directory. Confirm current fund names and details on Vanguard’s live fund pages before making a decision.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare Vanguard ETFs fairly
Start by deciding what the comparison is meant to answer: calendar-year results, long-term performance, cost, income, or exposure to a sector. A single recent return column cannot answer all of those questions.
- Match the period and end date. Compare calendar-year returns only with calendar-year returns. For rolling one-, five-, or ten-year results, use the same end date and the same return measure for every fund.
- Check the expense ratio. Compare expense ratios from Vanguard listings or prospectuses with a consistent current date. A cost comparison drawn from listings updated at different times may not be like-for-like.
- Understand concentration and risk. Review the fund’s sector mandate and holdings, not only its performance. Vanguard’s directory displays a risk rating; treat it as a provider’s comparison aid, not a guarantee of future volatility or loss.
- Keep yield separate from total return. Yield describes income under a stated calculation and date; it does not include the full effect of price movements. A distribution amount or schedule is not a substitute for a total-return figure.
- Review fund history and benchmark. Compare inception dates and each fund’s benchmark and strategy in its current profile or prospectus, especially when comparing funds with different operating histories.
Vanguard’s directory includes fields for asset class, risk rating, expense ratio, yield, returns, inception, minimum, and price. Its broader investment-products directory showed 383 mutual fund and ETF results on October 2, 2026; that count includes mutual funds and is not the ETF-only count.
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