ETF Versus

VDC vs XLP

Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares vs State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

VDC Vanguard

Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to us sector - consumer staples securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 2.12%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $8.0B ER: 0.09% Yield: 2.12% Since: Jan 26, 2004
XLP SPDR

State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - consumer staples securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.63%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $14.5B ER: 0.08% Yield: 2.63% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.08% vs 0.09%), so fees are not a differentiator here. VDC has edged ahead over the past year (6.1% vs 4.3%). Income investors may prefer XLP for its higher yield (2.6% vs 2.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric VDC XLP
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 2.1% 2.6%
Fund Family Vanguard SPDR
Category US Sector - Consumer Staples US Sector - Consumer Staples

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

95 103 111 119 127 135 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
VDC +25.7%
XLP +19.4%

Performance Comparison

Period VDC XLP Difference
1 Month -1.44% -2.20% +0.76%
3 Months +4.00% +3.17% +0.83%
6 Months +7.05% +6.28% +0.77%
YTD +7.74% +6.48% +1.26%
1 Year +6.13% +4.25% +1.88%
3 Years +16.22% +9.45% +6.77%
5 Years +25.70% +19.39% +6.31%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VDC Fees XLP Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $179 $159 $20
$10,000 20 years $771 $686 $85
$10,000 30 years $2,486 $2,212 $273
$50,000 10 years $896 $797 $99
$50,000 30 years $12,428 $11,061 $1,366
$100,000 30 years $24,855 $22,123 $2,732

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VDC XLP
Annualized Volatility 13.1% 13.2%
Max Drawdown -17.6% -17.8%
Sharpe Ratio 0.07 -0.01

Dividend Comparison

Metric VDC XLP
Annual Dividend (per share) $4.82 $2.18
Dividend Yield 2.12% 2.63%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

9 of top 10 holdings overlap (90% overlap in top holdings)

VDC Top Holdings

NameWeight
Walmart Inc.WMT14.89%
Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST11.61%
The Procter & Gamble CompanyPG9.85%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO8.22%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP4.62%
Philip Morris International Inc.PM4.48%
Altria Group, Inc.MO3.55%
Mondelez International, Inc.MDLZ2.47%
Colgate-Palmolive CompanyCL2.38%
Monster Beverage CorporationMNST1.98%

XLP Top Holdings

NameWeight
Walmart Inc.WMT12.01%
Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST9.72%
The Procter & Gamble CompanyPG7.23%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO6.42%
Philip Morris International Inc.PM5.32%
Mondelez International, Inc.MDLZ4.79%
Altria Group, Inc.MO4.57%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP4.57%
Colgate-Palmolive CompanyCL4.31%
Target CorporationTGT3.70%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLP if...

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

Either works if...

you just need broad us sector - consumer staples exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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