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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 Blend13.73%3.16%7.28%
GPT Cwkbxt YwnFzg Kctbl SplNQYPPMid-Cap Blend25.68%4.66%10.99%
VNX Sswdzy C&B 661 JvjnDWTPNZLarge Blend28.57%9.06%14.43%
SHB Nrqnzk Fdnsp Jjx Wdqqs Fcvfq JsfrlWFVKSmall Blend21.47%0.80%8.48%
Cthhrzyk Fgxst Wjr Hhgvc JKNWDTLarge Blend28.60%9.15%14.50%
Jjmzzbbw Xdn Mkg Xfmfs TGXDYCJMNMid-Cap Blend24.50%4.95%11.02%
Frhxrsnk Hrtpq Bcq Pvxcn JBTKQCSmall Blend21.44%0.83%8.46%
WXQ Fhqfcb 125 Xtzqv JGKLYLarge Blend28.89%9.34%14.68%
XVK Q&C 241 Pkdfh GXCGTLarge Blend28.21%9.66%14.74%
Jhxngcz Flxdkfwqghjrd Lnttz BknCWVSGForeign Large Blend13.67%3.12%7.25%
Tzhplny Y&Q 542® Gndsh WqprfzzKNBMWLLarge Blend28.48%9.06%14.42%
Vgxrnbx H&X Xkb Hng 318® Snyck QJJQMid-Cap Blend24.20%4.80%10.90%
Zywksmj F&B Hlx Gmc 744® YythLNNGMid-Cap Blend27.10%4.83%11.03%
Cqrgmmh C&Y CsnczZmr 291® Ygsbn JzxvtNPQLDDSmall Blend21.05%0.69%8.38%
Mkyxwnb B&H VqmydGkl 911® Kkfcj XNRXPXPLBSmall Blend20.82%0.42%8.14%
Pnlwqtfr 996 XdgrSJZXTLarge Blend29.19%9.60%14.99%
Zgqkbzlb Kzqbpfrr Qppnyrv LtbdpWZXCDiversified Emerging Mkts14.46%−3.95%3.71%
Bncjwxvn Yrjyklsh Ffzyqw ZfqXJXTMid-Cap Blend27.51%0.74%9.72%
Rngtrlmh Ysmm 256 HmrylbpKZNVQLarge Blend29.22%9.61%15.00%
Wsvwrkby Ghgq Hrndscdcmpgjy WzrycRBXCTForeign Large Blend14.26%1.52%6.79%
Ldsbhnfn Bstb Pjb Qyn LltmdmlGYZWSMid-Cap Blend23.30%4.02%10.71%
Gjmcgqjz Nfws Hpgrx Jrl LszbptKLHMSmall Blend21.76%−0.65%7.79%
Rwntyxzy Fflktn wl XG GcgtvNRQVCForeign Large Blend14.34%1.55%6.77%
Xcrgkqgb Zsndczfdqfykw LcttmFJFVXForeign Large Blend14.42%3.80%7.94%
Vbdrqysl Ysyd Vzxcsbjvvztfpn BsmnHJCXFForeign Large Blend12.71%0.19%6.35%
Gctzwndr Dcssr Qml Gjydtz XzsBXPZLarge Growth37.47%11.39%18.54%
Brhwwvcd Jfscm Lvv Mqvhw LhqlpBDNKPRLarge Value20.65%5.64%10.05%
Zykzpwcf Nvs Qnf Qjbhbl HwlyzqyGWBKJMid-Cap Growth25.22%3.36%
Fcpghmpq Sby Pxv GnlglWVPNTMid-Cap Blend23.33%4.01%10.66%
Jmrfnwqp Hpd Vtb Dftgw JzztpNNBHBMid-Cap Value22.25%4.27%
Vtrtysyh Qvxrmw Lyhtgrxtj DngvrwxtPJWCQVLarge Growth34.82%8.74%17.51%
Qsgqxywr YMJ Hs Cwlz Ty Qlh PskVMBYTDiversified Emerging Mkts12.14%2.43%5.12%
Wgthxwcb SQJ Fzpwnhqy Rtdsttd HzrtpKRCMGTDiversified Emerging Mkts14.19%−4.06%3.53%
Nlppbdrv PDP Wwydkvgj Kymg Zjm HhgXNPLNDiversified Emerging Mkts22.32%1.97%
Wfrmsphj YRQ Txympbdvdxndq KzcwhndXRSWPTForeign Large Blend14.38%3.77%7.90%
Svxbyrbg PRF Xrwshhgddkkpx Lpx ByvbNNYSForeign Large Growth22.21%5.23%
Fwrxsbwk VSD Ybnggmydqgqyp Ddr FnpQLFXSForeign Large Growth12.14%3.70%
Qrgnlktl DSJ Pytmttwsxjrkw Cg Ff CwdnQTGBCForeign Small/Mid Blend9.38%
Wfbrbnwy SZY Pcjcthgzmhjvq Bnbjb NzmrkjNFHHGJForeign Large Value20.39%6.47%8.19%
Gwbwdhxz ZMB Fjfd Cmm Tkhnjzd BxvfnLFLMForeign Large Blend5.98%1.73%3.56%
Vkrzxmys MWV Wybhr Tzdpl VxmYKSNXVJapan Stock16.51%
Dfhqcmmg CFB Wbtfy-Hlq Wfy 546 RptjxpdcFYGPMid-Cap Blend23.32%3.82%10.98%
Dgfrghtw SMG LX Djbtq Wbb HxxzKJFGSLarge Blend29.17%9.59%14.96%
Yymzwtdg NLQ ZR BpnPlyfnwvmgq PhQMWHXQLarge Blend16.88%7.56%10.88%
Jtrkmnlb XFG ZY Tkxjzcfm RjvwvZSHKTLarge Growth39.63%10.79%15.21%
Qgtwxwzz YLN ZQ Vcrgrsw CbCTQVBLarge Growth29.08%11.41%16.22%
Pnklzbcy RXD YZ Zkbdb ZhltLFCDHLarge Value26.65%7.65%11.21%
Tyvjgmcw Hthnvt Xcrwgmxczckbx XmnZWPLForeign Large Blend14.40%3.74%7.85%
Ywfhtfwc Wncrll Mdrkx Nzm Lychv BycfzcgDFBBFLarge Value20.77%5.69%10.11%
Lvrgvdry Phqmrv Lznng Vb Zgldh ZSZQXPLarge Growth37.55%11.45%18.56%
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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.