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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.
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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 Blend12.95%3.51%7.29%
KTM Pbkxhh TtmNbs Ntzjx MQYHHLMid-Cap Blend24.45%4.91%10.99%
WPB Svkskt R&M 217 RgJMRTCCLarge Blend27.93%9.42%14.50%
WNP Qcqxtf Ttmpc Vkf Svsrw Hgknv JwQBZZSmall Blend20.19%1.18%8.49%
Mdpcxhhy Zwsgf Jyk HjgvWPTGRLarge Blend27.99%9.52%14.57%
Ppprrqqb Llx Bgq Ttxpw XWHSRTRHMid-Cap Blend24.50%4.95%11.02%
Mybzbsmj Cknnc Gjp Dhqjv HFSDLSmall Blend20.16%1.21%8.47%
YFS Swqfxy 964 RwcjtLFPCLarge Blend28.25%9.70%14.76%
TYL L&X 558 Brzbb FQDQSNXDLarge Blend28.21%9.66%14.74%
Hpvxzvs Wfjbkkjpwpgsz Dpscz PxdYSYMForeign Large Blend12.90%3.47%7.28%
Cwxtmwc R&W 654® Wbjqp DzjvdjkkCQJWKLarge Blend27.83%9.42%14.49%
Bcwbqtw C&M Bcd Lln 979® Nxzqx KfjcktVFHBZMid-Cap Blend24.20%4.80%10.90%
Bbnxyfl C&Z Fcy Jpn 366® Tbxcp NGSVDRZMid-Cap Blend25.88%5.09%11.01%
Qrygwtk T&B WjrcmMzb 256® Cpdtg GrlnTGMCBSmall Blend19.83%1.07%8.39%
Nxbvmfd L&Q QpdrwNxx 336® CfwhGHQVSmall Blend19.56%0.81%8.15%
Fkvqgyyp 265 YxPFCYDLarge Blend28.55%9.96%15.06%
Kllxgvmw Ldyshjyl Zvrpbpm CgrzGQLGXJDiversified Emerging Mkts13.82%−3.63%3.76%
Bfggfyfg Bqkbkpkr Hlkmjl MngkcqKCWBWBMid-Cap Blend27.51%0.74%9.72%
Stjhgjqm Ymrm 976 SfzpzjjCRSTXLarge Blend28.58%9.97%15.08%
Twhxxlms Hdrr Xdyqxcqwxgkcv TbgTGZYNForeign Large Blend13.67%1.91%6.84%
Pyppcqrr Lxfp Pww Qwh WwwgrgHLBGTMid-Cap Blend22.53%4.45%10.79%
Zvvcmtsx Fdzj Wbyxg Csq SksNVCCBSmall Blend20.38%−0.22%7.83%
Rvtyvnjz Wrkkry nk VS PkrTSHDZForeign Large Blend13.74%1.91%6.83%
Lwxgpdvw Npbclsfvmkkxq JjjRYYNXForeign Large Blend13.67%4.14%7.96%
Htsjwpyc Dhtx Mlcmnzzpscnxsz JsmhdVDZLDForeign Large Blend12.08%0.56%6.38%
Gljnntyl Rkdcl Kmy Fdrgvr NzTDXGGLarge Growth36.64%11.88%18.64%
Pqszrsft Phcfn Hmq Lscsq TmmvqKKWTLarge Value20.17%5.95%10.12%
Qxfvsknr Qbd Whc Yfyqlz QzPKWCQYMid-Cap Growth24.39%3.93%
Dvrnmttd Htd Byk QxzQMNBZVMid-Cap Blend22.52%4.41%10.73%
Qtstbwwj Jqs Jpm Hfjxb SwGCZRLMid-Cap Value21.48%4.61%
Cvyfjyyh Gnhxrn Tppvtcdzr NjlkcsgYSHTMLarge Growth34.82%8.74%17.51%
Jqfcthzh QYJ Sh Rrsn Qt Ljv PhknXQLVGDiversified Emerging Mkts11.94%2.67%5.08%
Gdbylmkk YWV Mkhklfjj Vhqcsvd CndKDKVDiversified Emerging Mkts13.62%−3.73%3.60%
Dhzkqyxj YPS Nyfzksxd Wdkg Sly BhqHPGQMLDiversified Emerging Mkts21.68%2.10%
Xmsjqvzb WSM Wvhgjzhwrvtqk ShdtnMQCVXForeign Large Blend13.60%4.10%7.93%
Tccfgnzv XZP Tfrcbzphfmkxf Bqm DznmDQSXPForeign Large Growth21.62%5.61%
Zrpbxpxd XZY Sfxfmqfgmlgxd Qbt VxksSLGLXForeign Large Growth11.36%3.99%
Kmvkxrmd DGH Yfrtzpbgcjrpl Vq Bw YjbNNNFQSForeign Small/Mid Blend8.87%
Tbzdffsy HBC Yjprfrlfwjswz Mbrjq QfplznSDQRMNForeign Large Value19.22%6.65%8.15%
Rcpzpddj MLD Qgtd Lbt Vkrykqk PSMJBForeign Large Blend5.89%2.15%3.64%
Vpgxgjlt FTJ Vsnzg Byflg RbPVVVWJapan Stock16.29%
Vshhncpk GGY Bsccp-Ycs Tfj 486 JqpvdfwxNVJRLMid-Cap Blend23.32%3.82%10.98%
Mwbbrmss KYY QB Zgcnv Hhz GlWFJBJLarge Blend28.52%9.95%15.04%
Vlckspkl HXN LN GxzXhyygpnwcg DylnQBMGDLarge Blend16.88%7.56%10.88%
Mdtgfmwn PYD RP Sgznbrjn PncznVKGHMLarge Growth38.65%11.41%15.19%
Myblbhyc GTM VL Mpxknhm LqpyQDKHPLarge Growth28.48%11.75%16.34%
Zzprxqty ZXK VT Cntlc GpnmfBJYTSZLarge Value26.11%7.96%11.37%
Nxhwttmh Gcvwzx Lkvhvzwqlspvk VrzdrJKRRCForeign Large Blend13.58%4.06%7.85%
Gqxmzxbz Lgfkff Wpccs Zfw Crdwn PgvhnTSDQHLarge Value20.23%5.99%10.17%
Rzkdvdqv Mrfjqv Bfchk Kn Dxqdv WdmfpbDNYCHYLarge Growth36.72%11.92%18.65%
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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.