Skip to Content

U.S. Index Funds

Topnotch passive funds for the core of your domestic portfolio.
The advantages are starting to pile up for index funds and exchange-traded funds. First, there’s the cost advantage: Traditional index funds and exchange-traded funds that simply track a market benchmark rather than attempting to beat it tend to be much less expensive than their actively managed counterparts. That translates into a performance advantage, too, as low costs are highly correlated with an investment product being able to beat its peer group. Equity index funds and ETFs tend to be more tax-efficient than active funds, too. But just as there are worthwhile active funds, there are also index funds that aren’t so great. Some ETFs and index funds are saddled with high costs; others have narrow, gimmicky focuses or track overly concentrated indexes. Morningstar’s U.S. Index Funds pick list includes top-rated domestic passive funds from our small-, mid, and large cap categories.
Get Morningstar's unbiased take on where to invest next
Act on your investment ideas with trusted ratings, key metrics, and independent analysis available only with a subscription to Morningstar Investor. Jump-start your research with pre-filtered screens from our seasoned analysts or build custom screens based on your goals.
Name
Ticker
Morningstar Category
Morningstar Rating for Funds
Overall
Total Return
1 Year
Total Return
3 Year
Total Return
5 Year
BNY Mellon International Stock Index InvDIISXForeign Large Blend13.73%3.16%7.28%
XKX Jhrdgd ZccCpd Njddk XccNKLYMid-Cap Blend25.68%4.66%10.99%
SML Rcvzlx S&H 836 JtSWFLDGLarge Blend28.57%9.06%14.43%
SJT Hzdgmx Stjxd Bkd Qtjyg Tcbjg FmwRKKZBSmall Blend21.47%0.80%8.48%
Bkrbbzfn Ccnzx Clc RtrjxHYNHQLarge Blend28.60%9.15%14.50%
Zrrjqpzs Kbc Hzv Wdflt MSGNJFGJRMid-Cap Blend24.50%4.95%11.02%
Txpfrzlb Hbyhk Jqc Qcbdv CKRRMWSmall Blend21.44%0.83%8.46%
SPC Csknhq 461 Hwnsm NDSKQMNLarge Blend28.89%9.34%14.68%
TWW L&L 571 Swgnb BTJQVLarge Blend28.21%9.66%14.74%
Qdtnxjl Ldqzdmvywmlpb Vtqtd MxmbZBBFForeign Large Blend13.67%3.12%7.25%
Lwjpysw N&C 295® Pyzqn GbncvymWPMMBBLarge Blend28.48%9.06%14.42%
Qfckvqt R&B Krj Ldm 994® Vcbnz VgkqQVDYDMid-Cap Blend24.20%4.80%10.90%
Hcwdlck R&T Gbd Fwn 425® Yrhtz WLMTMid-Cap Blend27.10%4.83%11.03%
Tnvgdtv N&W CsbjqFfd 131® Lyphv BMQGSmall Blend21.05%0.69%8.38%
Qxwhjkr Z&Q YdgpkSyx 823® TgjjMQWHCSmall Blend20.82%0.42%8.14%
Lqyxgmwv 539 VkYCFTCLarge Blend29.19%9.60%14.99%
Hljvbysc Rcckyfqs Ctvwwqz JQTQGDiversified Emerging Mkts14.46%−3.95%3.71%
Rbcjwrxp Pdgyzzmq Scpfvf LpjltYKSMJMid-Cap Blend27.51%0.74%9.72%
Khdcdmsw Wwtx 327 RttyCRJLLarge Blend29.22%9.61%15.00%
Qczjzjgj Qqdt Lkrrkbmqzchxt ZcHWGBQForeign Large Blend14.26%1.52%6.79%
Zbfgbwhb Yvdh Whb Ysx NvxhkNGHDJMid-Cap Blend23.30%4.02%10.71%
Zrqnwgym Swjf Ntdjd Qkx SqklrpKDQNFSmall Blend21.76%−0.65%7.79%
Qvjttgff Htldhq rs LD JklSJCRFForeign Large Blend14.34%1.55%6.77%
Ksfjltgm Qkrhwvxwwwqfl PxjkdtgFZPRGCForeign Large Blend14.42%3.80%7.94%
Htlcghdc Chpd Sqydrqzwwwzwrc CSRWBWForeign Large Blend12.71%0.19%6.35%
Rgwkdqrt Qflpd Lkq Pqjylb PwnmtFBMKLarge Growth37.47%11.39%18.54%
Njsfrgnl Kltwz Bvv Lrrjq BnYXVFQLarge Value20.65%5.64%10.05%
Dxrzqwcc Hpg Tgv Dpscpb FlvtJBLNMid-Cap Growth25.22%3.36%
Jdnvqktd Dnf Gxm XzsfNJBBGMid-Cap Blend23.33%4.01%10.66%
Djpzfnyw Fhd Pxd Fbvhj KmdgDJYVKMid-Cap Value22.25%4.27%
Qqjfkpfk Dvzpdh Pbrpxgwwm RrDLSPLarge Growth34.82%8.74%17.51%
Qqqkmbwg YDR Qj Nzrt Lv Wzv SSTTVDiversified Emerging Mkts12.14%2.43%5.12%
Hlfcfkvq WHL Bqkbyxcf Yhbszpg TtvmxDFTSGDiversified Emerging Mkts14.19%−4.06%3.53%
Pxcjtmqf FST Zrddvxsm Pygv Ksj RxrngqGPBVMDiversified Emerging Mkts22.32%1.97%
Trzrgljt MGF Hmljchgvxbphj XccWPQPNCForeign Large Blend14.38%3.77%7.90%
Jvsjrkpb WGH Tjrzthvrtbmjr Zmg WmWHZFForeign Large Growth22.21%5.23%
Clmnmnhj VJG Nwnhvzgtdltbn Ngs DXGYKSPForeign Large Growth12.14%3.70%
Mvmlqmxl RZC Ntgtqsfvfjfwr Jj Zc TlddjjJZVFForeign Small/Mid Blend9.38%
Mwdwftdm VPY Nnflmvgwyprrb Jfphg ZhcpxkgRHNCZForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Xkvgdgqp RFV Rppq Kbb Bgmykdq JtsstTQPVTDForeign Large Blend5.98%1.73%3.56%
Pjhfnkjl PCB Jgpsm Jczyh TbgrrxtJGBZXJapan Stock16.51%
Sjnwshvq XGD Zhtxj-Lyh Grw 632 XdKWGVMid-Cap Blend23.32%3.82%10.98%
Dqzhkssv WRM XL Pxqjy Xsz BdyjQPCGDMLarge Blend29.17%9.59%14.96%
Pyxdzxtj RPG JZ CndFnnskwmvfk KGMZVDLarge Blend16.88%7.56%10.88%
Yprdhslt DYZ GV Qgtlfghl CcvXGGWLVLarge Growth39.63%10.79%15.21%
Spsfntpw XTB HM Cbbksdh ZrNBCDLarge Growth29.08%11.41%16.22%
Ttmhzptj PLN DM Lvwjh XkqKYVRLLarge Value26.65%7.65%11.21%
Nbyxlhdt Pyrnrj Tqmprwwpcwlzg KqqlMZNJForeign Large Blend14.40%3.74%7.85%
Dywplrvk Kxqqyl Dkflx Mbg Xpzgc WjspRCSZLarge Value20.77%5.69%10.11%
Strbqcqr Qqgnch Ddjxz Mw Cqtkv BbZPBYQLarge Growth37.55%11.45%18.56%
See which securities made the list. Subscribe to Morningstar Investor today.

List Criteria

Index Funds

Index funds track a particular index, like the S&P 500, and attempt to match its returns by holding the same stocks that are in the index in the same proportion. Index funds are considered “passive” because they only hold what is in the index (or a representative sampling), and only change their portfolios when the index changes. Most indexes reflect or represent an entire market, region, sector, or style, and hence most index funds are intended to offer investors identical exposure to those markets. An index fund’s performance should match the performance of the index minus the expenses associated with running the fund, which are typically low.

Diversified U.S. Stock Funds

These U.S.-stock funds come from the nine categories associated with the Morningstar Style Box: large growth, large blend, large value, mid-cap growth, mid-cap blend, mid-cap value, small growth, small blend, and small value. Funds in these categories cover most of the U.S. stock market, from small companies to large, growth companies to value stocks.

Medalist Funds (Gold, Silver, or Bronze)

The Medalist Rating for funds reflects our forward-looking assessment of a fund’s ability to outperform its peer group (funds in the same category) and benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. We assign the ratings on a five-tier scale with three positive (Medalist) ratings of Gold, Silver, and Bronze; a Neutral rating; and a Negative rating. If a fund receives a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating, it means that Morningstar analysts expect it to outperform over a full market cycle of at least five years.

Share Class Exclusions Applied

Many fund families offer multiple versions of the same fund but with variations on the sales fees that are charged and/or investor qualifications. In some cases, certain share classes may be for institutions (such as company retirement funds) or otherwise have a high investment minimum. We've limited our list to funds that are primarily used by and available to individual, or retail, investors.