US small and mid cap ETFs compared: returns and risk
Funds on smaller US companies, historically more volatile than the large caps.
Data updated October 2026
| Fund | 1Y | 3Y a yr | 5Y a yr | 10Y a yr | Volatility | Max drawdown | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETF | +12.6% | +18.5% | +5.0% | +9.7% | 24.5% | −59.0% | 2006 |
| IJRiShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | +17.0% | +16.2% | +5.5% | +10.0% | 23.9% | −58.5% | 2006 |
| VBVanguard Small-Cap ETF | +13.8% | +17.6% | +6.1% | — | 20.6% | −28.2% | 2020 |
| IJHiShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | +13.7% | +15.9% | +6.5% | +9.6% | 22.2% | −55.9% | 2006 |
| MDYSPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust | +13.4% | +15.7% | +6.9% | +10.4% | 22.6% | −55.3% | 2006 |
| VOVanguard Mid-Cap ETF | +11.8% | +17.0% | +5.6% | — | 17.4% | −28.3% | 2020 |
| SCHASchwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF | +16.8% | +18.7% | +5.3% | +9.3% | 21.6% | −42.7% | 2009 |
Total returns with dividends reinvested, in each fund’s trading currency, to the last close; periods longer than a year are annualised. Volatility and maximum drawdown cover each fund’s whole history since the year shown, so they are comparable only between funds with similar start dates.
Head-to-head comparisons
Other ETF categories
- S&P 500 ETFs
- Total US stock market ETFs
- Nasdaq-100 ETFs
- Dow Jones and equal-weight ETFs
- US growth ETFs
- US value ETFs
- Small cap value and growth ETFs
- Dividend ETFs
- Covered call and equity income ETFs
- Factor ETFs (min vol, quality, momentum, value)
- World and all-world ETFs
- International developed markets ETFs
- Europe ETFs
- Emerging markets and Asia ETFs
- Technology and semiconductor ETFs
- US sector ETFs
- Real estate (REIT) ETFs
- Thematic ETFs
- US Treasury bond ETFs
- Inflation-linked bond ETFs
- Aggregate bond ETFs
- Corporate, high yield and municipal bond ETFs
- Cash and T-bill ETFs
- Gold and precious metals ETFs
- Oil, gas and commodity ETFs
- Bitcoin and crypto ETFs
- Leveraged and inverse ETFs
- Allocation and multi-asset ETFs
Source: MarketStack end-of-day prices, total return with dividends reinvested. Figures are historical and descriptive; they are not forecasts and not investment advice. MEDGE Capital does not recommend buying or selling any instrument. Risk disclaimer.