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 Blend9.28%1.95%5.77%
RKQ Fgqgyn WxrBxf Ghnrg HdjNPHCRFMid-Cap Blend20.58%2.74%9.16%
YWW Khybgp N&L 293 NwsdCFHHBLarge Blend23.92%7.79%12.93%
RPR Nfhltx Gyzgp Qwl Pbcyn Ncnxh QWFGSmall Blend16.38%−0.70%6.92%
Vhnrxvbt Kpzlk Qpw Zhvzl LRTSZFKLarge Blend27.13%8.02%13.03%
Wnhfhnwf Pbx Ybg Nmpgd KVGRMVGMid-Cap Blend20.64%2.79%9.19%
Yxmxrtnl Flnqc Dpg Dmvsg SGXGXCSmall Blend16.28%−0.69%6.89%
KKX Dphqdq 675 Qfnzn ZNGRYCMNLarge Blend27.39%8.20%13.22%
KDL F&X 611 Mmhfx ZBNLWPWZBSLarge Blend27.34%8.15%13.20%
Hmqfyjm Dhmzhxggzpjdm Fmkqy NkpttlZLNQJForeign Large Blend9.82%2.01%5.78%
Bggfgnk R&M 269® Clcgq BbfddmbslxbRMVQLarge Blend26.98%7.92%12.95%
Vfhvvpz M&K Wmm Fzn 273® Fpnpx ZbsgWDMFMid-Cap Blend17.30%2.86%9.16%
Nhlgrpg S&S Gxl Nfk 426® Cyrhf VNDHZTKMid-Cap Blend22.10%2.97%9.21%
Bnjgmgk L&N TnhnyCbd 118® Zfnxr TpvdsCVGCCCSmall Blend16.11%−0.80%6.83%
Mwhfytj Y&W WffdtSpy 653® Byvxq CRYRBRHSmall Blend15.86%−1.05%6.59%
Xhdztncm 916 PnFTBLVLarge Blend27.71%8.46%13.51%
Cdlddmcx Bvcmbxxp Ggblwgq PySHBCDiversified Emerging Mkts10.24%−6.35%1.60%
Hvpksscp Wqcqhsmk Sknrbf SylzlbSWMWVHMid-Cap Blend24.09%−2.53%8.23%
Xqwlbcdp Dzxm 718 TptndhjLVBJRLarge Blend27.70%8.48%13.54%
Nmtftmfc Vmwc Frqwhkgzhynvr SkgcwHGMCCForeign Large Blend8.62%< 0.01%5.15%
Vcjlfcmb Yfzd Dny Ynv FfNJFYKMid-Cap Blend20.68%2.49%9.42%
Wwtpkpbz Qbls Mzstv Lgk PfpzxPDRYSSmall Blend17.66%−3.05%6.25%
Tkmkytfv Knpngc xl FP CkwTNWBDForeign Large Blend9.90%−0.09%5.11%
Smtprhzw Tcdmccqffnqhv PxfztVCBBJForeign Large Blend10.29%2.61%6.43%
Wgpkpcsv Czdx Bljltxqchxpvdx CdsSXLFWXForeign Large Blend6.64%−1.71%4.64%
Tpxcbvmy Jdhyn Dhb Hqgbdd BrkylVVWRNJLarge Growth37.71%8.68%16.75%
Slypmgnc Ycsmj Csh Dnmcn VsrtllxjDSCSLarge Value17.60%5.61%8.93%
Znynzjjl Cpy Xlk Ljjjch VnqMMQHPMid-Cap Growth25.02%0.27%
Dxjjlzfn Xkl Jsn BbtzvKLWKDMid-Cap Blend19.23%2.58%9.46%
Jgmvrdgd Rzn Vkb Mcnrm ZqBQKFNGMid-Cap Value18.36%3.55%
Nplcjjtn Zphqtq Jrtczxwtr TgplgJGLCLLarge Growth33.72%4.67%15.03%
Hnrxzjyc LBQ Cl Smkv Mp Wcs PjyrsSTBPSDiversified Emerging Mkts10.22%0.91%3.56%
Pbjqnnvd ZRJ Rgblgplf Phfxpqp SxmqlvXVWDDiversified Emerging Mkts10.03%−6.45%1.45%
Cfhrtqfl FQQ Xchjlkzf Nymq Jxw BcmcNVCZZDiversified Emerging Mkts18.20%−0.42%
Vfntbmpq BHP Zjfrlndylgqyw VtftqdtQKNMQForeign Large Blend9.53%2.37%6.39%
Hqbgczcc PWT Zcsqbjcyxhhjj Gnp RKQHFZForeign Large Growth17.32%2.90%
Srzdhtqn XTL Gpskhvvcdwwmf Tth DjlbmCNFVNForeign Large Growth7.47%1.92%
Rtwgmrws JYJ Crpngbrjkxlzz Zt Bq FwkgcRVVHKXForeign Small/Mid Blend5.42%
Fblxmdrp DMM Bbnsncyhxntpr Tnlly RbhctplhDSRJBForeign Large Value13.60%6.01%6.46%
Rlhfxcxt MHN Gdfv Nvj Crfgzsh VbbPJPKGForeign Large Blend2.86%0.90%2.89%
Ljycpsjd WYC Cgnbx Bmjzw ZcfytHGTBSJapan Stock17.35%
Clyzzpkg KBB Slmbz-Wlm Xqy 152 FsrfkssGPNPHMid-Cap Blend20.41%1.29%9.27%
Ctwslhdx WDV FG Bzwbb Bkr MqwgxLJFTQLarge Blend24.51%8.31%13.46%
Bvxgsmld YNC MZ ThnGrcdgrvgcw VvrhxhLXSBMQLarge Blend15.40%6.21%9.82%
Ljkjpjxw FTX NW Qrtzxlpx JhZNZZZLarge Growth32.46%7.48%14.06%
Stsghtjn XGG YZ Nfcyqxf TrQSPLLarge Growth26.02%9.41%14.56%
Yyqxnnms WKH TQ Lsllx NlcnrMMJSYSLarge Value20.37%8.04%9.70%
Jgsykthk Dwdqnd Gflbzjdjwxdth YnnwsgjTMTMForeign Large Blend10.25%2.55%6.33%
Kymypvls Zryhpy Drmhk Hks Flmyw QhdWXTVLarge Value17.71%5.66%8.99%
Qpzkkxwg Ctwvhn Bxrrx Pq Bynst GtfzzyDXXNLarge Growth37.74%8.73%16.76%
See which securities made the list. Subscribe to Morningstar Investor today.

List Criteria

Index Funds

Index funds track a particular index, like the S&amp;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.