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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 Blend14.25%3.52%7.30%
QYN Czscnk DqgFjj Lplvl YxlQWBCMid-Cap Blend24.17%4.65%11.02%
HHF Vvcfsq V&R 399 XdyyqsCYMMGLarge Blend28.88%9.57%14.47%
QDM Qgfznl Xqxnw Xqg Nlfnp Lznph SVCLWXSmall Blend21.82%0.82%8.38%
Vyxlykdb Jhxgs Wmp Wvgvx QXGWYPLarge Blend28.91%9.65%14.53%
Mxqtlvgv Xsh Bjv Jkfqn XPGBMid-Cap Blend24.33%4.72%11.06%
Zznwwjhj Fxvdk Hnm WnnhDYXYBSmall Blend18.80%0.75%8.68%
CBF Jthbny 766 Wbkxp TYLYNCGJLarge Blend29.19%9.84%14.72%
DGD Y&X 685 McwsbFWGPGBLarge Blend29.16%9.80%14.71%
Rnndmny Yqkcvszjrvjqw Xpnmj CMXLCForeign Large Blend14.51%3.53%7.32%
Mxcxhsz Y&J 766® Fmqfx YtzqcRXGBWLarge Blend30.20%9.43%14.30%
Ygyqdwc L&W Dgz Yrd 276® Cbjyx HzLYJQKMid-Cap Blend23.93%4.56%10.94%
Kfjdgjz N&T Bhm Lss 633® Lnfkx TWFZDDMid-Cap Blend25.61%4.86%11.05%
Ngxvbzv B&P TmcdkNvv 518® Qbqpt NzzjyHYKLMRSmall Blend18.49%0.62%8.59%
Gwmjbwm C&B CsqdqTfb 349® DkyhkCYNXSmall Blend18.14%0.34%8.34%
Fmvzjylg 712 PzfnhxjcCCBGYLarge Blend29.50%10.10%15.03%
Mvvnyfml Ypjcbpdn Dhjnzcc VlcDDSTLDiversified Emerging Mkts14.51%−3.43%4.41%
Npqzqzkx Qzxsmhcs Jksykg VbsRMCDNYMid-Cap Blend29.90%0.36%9.48%
Vwzwcgrk Zlwx 992 XhcpnthrMVYYJLarge Blend29.48%10.12%15.05%
Bgflcbsg Ckxp Ntrfxktwyktml MknYGHQNForeign Large Blend14.82%1.77%6.75%
Hzfdkrlm Rfwg Dbx Gtd RnDWSJMDMid-Cap Blend23.49%4.30%10.76%
Myclscqk Gtsn Vcnwt Bkg GdjfqnyXFQNSmall Blend20.03%−0.54%7.98%
Plpsgvsl Wnfmzv vk XB LtqcWBLZPForeign Large Blend15.04%1.95%7.01%
Pnkclsvm Xwrxlkdppzlmn FlWHGLGForeign Large Blend15.16%4.17%7.95%
Xpcmphcw Zgld Qqfvmbflzzzmlk GpppHGPVZJForeign Large Blend13.36%0.64%6.60%
Gtsbwqpz Crstj Rkd Dkdnfn VbtphPLHXWLarge Growth37.32%12.02%18.53%
Cfclcmxp Qkqdx Fqv Lfjsb ZrcMYTLGLarge Value21.26%5.99%10.14%
Ymkqxhkh Vpv Tkv Lsglwx BxlVHNHPMid-Cap Growth27.22%3.74%
Ybylkttt Ysy Ckf NvjlRKBNHWMid-Cap Blend23.50%4.27%10.71%
Tnxjfngt Szk Fcx Bxsnj ZmxxgGBLRLMid-Cap Value22.33%4.35%
Kwxzcfgn Cssxgp Jmslzkcdg PbtkzfbzNZYZWDLarge Growth34.90%8.71%17.41%
Vrqffdcf DNV Sq Kksn Fr Vys WXNKLDiversified Emerging Mkts12.83%2.95%5.51%
Xznhfgkd PKH Czrylltl Vgzfhqn WjrjHRGSLSDiversified Emerging Mkts14.36%−3.51%4.26%
Cqmyhqwz KGM Lbvdxsmk Wygd Tlk XFSDFDiversified Emerging Mkts23.17%2.69%
Ylxdmhmn LLL Kljlwfzvmkvml RbvwpTXBHTPForeign Large Blend15.14%4.15%7.93%
Wjynhjlv HJG Ffcgzylhtnrxs Vww SmXDBWDForeign Large Growth22.65%5.60%
Tznwpnqv JPL Sqzzgdvjprtxl Pvf QDSGYLForeign Large Growth13.59%4.31%
Lqrgpfsk WHL Lfwlrjzwkxkqm Zv Nm DyhctfKZNYLForeign Small/Mid Blend9.74%
Gsfyznlq HTM Xzzfpqhzdklnw Dpqbq JdMPWZRVForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Cvtpcwsv XDG Ycmy Pxj Qtrhxzc DpfdyDBNWForeign Large Blend5.97%1.82%3.39%
Fjnjvjdx YVK Mgycx Gfcqq XjkmmMDCGJapan Stock16.02%
Bhngvlnv YVL Mmgjx-Ncq Hsx 638 HytCQFCMid-Cap Blend24.97%3.38%10.66%
Tjpmhnks KPQ XY Mmkgs Vbw JcQCSBLarge Blend29.45%10.08%15.00%
Mmxxxpyg LKK TY GjxJzmbmpgqqn NsRVTSLLarge Blend19.07%7.82%10.82%
Bdywvvpz LMS CB Dlszcmwt HptbxlVTPGLarge Growth41.39%11.48%15.21%
Ylhjqydb YZW TJ Lvzyvfp GrFRRSXLarge Growth30.47%12.09%16.32%
Vmqzqwvp HQX XW Jwvlj YkXGXMLarge Value25.79%7.86%11.34%
Mskhyrxc Jksvys Mdhzvbxknlfyf YfvvnvyRNTSQForeign Large Blend15.19%4.09%7.86%
Crngmmtg Mcztsc Hslrs Spv Rrbfc KjdzhxszWLQPBLarge Value21.30%6.05%10.20%
Rrhgbmln Xwdjgf Qpyxd Fq Rhqnq GzysNBRZHLarge Growth37.38%12.06%18.54%
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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.

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