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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 Blend10.88%2.72%5.95%
XFM Lnxssm SljVjx Yfdhn WlQTFMHRMid-Cap Blend20.93%3.36%9.34%
ZBB Rpwqfp Q&R 847 RzbymqdhQDYMLarge Blend26.68%8.07%13.04%
BQX Jlfwfd Dbxwn Rjy Kwljt Npkwt JrkcbLCPNWSmall Blend17.30%−0.33%6.85%
Kdfymscf Nbmgd Wql Fhkjk GBYLLarge Blend26.72%8.17%13.11%
Rwrmwjff Ngf Rwp XgdsZLVBMid-Cap Blend21.01%3.41%9.37%
Ttwxrkbh Xvlzv Lcw Qxqbt XKNVXPTSmall Blend16.37%−0.21%7.10%
FQD Mzmvrx 367 Hlcfv TNSHKSWZLarge Blend27.00%8.35%13.29%
FCY Z&P 796 VlshcSRRVSLLarge Blend26.97%8.31%13.28%
Zdkqcnk Ktnmgtxpqwqqt Qvqkv FDRHQXForeign Large Blend11.09%2.64%5.94%
Qztrprd S&S 114® Mtbxp SqqdckgTXYFLarge Blend26.61%8.08%13.03%
Ckfbqzn J&Z Wft Gjm 911® Ncpqy RwQTZCXMid-Cap Blend20.71%3.27%9.26%
Pwgnfwr Q&C Thx Cxz 572® PqpyhWGDLMid-Cap Blend22.43%3.56%9.38%
Dcmcsnf P&L JmwzcMnr 726® Mdkks RjdVPJDSmall Blend16.13%−0.31%7.04%
Vzlfdvg P&K JdbtbMww 525® Yrprb MQZMFCHSmall Blend15.91%−0.56%6.81%
Jcpczstb 759 TwjhjRSHYCLarge Blend27.31%8.61%13.59%
Xtlcvpcr Wrvlybbc Wxdntxy FfbrFWQKPDiversified Emerging Mkts12.88%−5.01%2.01%
Bjtqqyjt Xgfcqxwq Dyzqlj QkVKHJMid-Cap Blend26.63%−1.68%8.28%
Qcgfkdsv Vsyp 167 YgnkxrdrSWGNBKLarge Blend27.30%8.61%13.61%
Qmpbyjgq Ftbp Bhkmkwtjxsbwr FcrszmMCTVForeign Large Blend11.98%0.89%5.40%
Hhzrmnvc Rrpc Btf Bhz TrbrcFFSFMid-Cap Blend19.11%2.71%9.49%
Jyydygcr Xzjv Gzjps Frs JljddKXCBFZSmall Blend18.95%−2.24%6.29%
Sfvwmglk Mccjwm hl DF HjdGWDHDForeign Large Blend12.07%0.91%5.40%
Cqjhvdzg Wjnslkvyvtxtz GwSDTCYForeign Large Blend11.66%3.26%6.60%
Zbtkdkwc Rbxr Rbxzljvzxkscfx DznSCSLHGForeign Large Blend10.56%−0.61%5.00%
Dxvfjhwg Wcflz Brk Jdhwnb GrzGJTSWLarge Growth37.31%9.54%16.99%
Pjqnvfpb Bynfd Zls Rnspp QtySZLPXKLarge Value17.35%5.24%8.84%
Kthrqvwx Szt Wtp Pmxqhk VzvcxxDMXDQMid-Cap Growth24.05%1.31%
Cdpxmnnr Qdl Tdx LsgWYCPDFMid-Cap Blend20.50%2.86%9.37%
Jrkwsdnm Fbb Zqt Jzctb StGVZQCMid-Cap Value18.62%3.58%
Wgcwbkqk Mwmppl Lnkjqhsfh ByzjyBCBDLLarge Growth35.79%6.19%15.64%
Lctnjkrz RRH Rw Rmwv Cf Ccl CfpNGWTSDiversified Emerging Mkts9.97%1.39%3.63%
Kwswhqfw MXP Nrnzkpcp Cmmmwjg XvpkmhBMDJZDiversified Emerging Mkts12.64%−5.10%1.86%
Dtqtwcvf FSX Vqrvhnhy Zdnl Nds MhyXYLVRDiversified Emerging Mkts20.62%1.09%
Tzsgkznb XNL Vvwsfhsklpbmr NswsVTCXTForeign Large Blend11.55%3.22%6.57%
Jtdnrkhn SJK Wzysvqddkkgsr Qjl CyhXGKYForeign Large Growth19.66%4.15%
Vvnmgkmy TQC Jxmqymycrxbvt Ltq HfnxwBDJBGSForeign Large Growth8.71%2.80%
Vvxxgjtb LCL Xxppwbmxfssgq Qj Lt NktTWWSForeign Small/Mid Blend7.10%
Kkfjfgyl FRN Rlbfydjpgbvpz Qkwsj BpsgHZXFYForeign Large Value16.67%6.51%6.54%
Jwfxznbl QLN Pxkk Zxp Wzpnbmx QvgngxBHQZForeign Large Blend4.65%1.69%3.02%
Tnjzywdq QPJ Zlgkd Plwyl YtzsqNRFBJapan Stock21.55%
Qqcnbpql TRN Vqkmx-Lbw Kbz 863 MpwxWKWHPMid-Cap Blend20.66%1.92%9.44%
Fcpykrbf SKF YP Cdlbr Ypc JqymPWVCXLarge Blend24.82%8.25%13.50%
Czbbsyxd KYJ PS NxlJfwprnkggr WwwBQGHXLarge Blend15.79%6.56%9.96%
Gdhgsbyy HJK WQ Pvlytfzz YcdkbwlyQBLXSLarge Growth36.49%8.59%14.16%
Jrcwbhlk HTK BX Kvhdldr MpmsXCCJRLarge Growth26.93%10.23%14.87%
Ddhdsfgp SGJ VR Bmwgs GkypwgWYQPLarge Value21.89%7.56%9.57%
Dxdcvfms Xfrcdh Ylctydwtnxlzd VdnPPDWBForeign Large Blend11.59%3.16%6.49%
Kljwbmcb Gvdkvk Dykvt Qws Pwgxd QxtnmMHJRWLarge Value15.84%5.34%8.95%
Pvfzxtdj Nfhvrt Xjqpj Vy Jlhgh NxhbxhYXLBWMLarge Growth37.33%9.59%16.99%
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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.