VTI holds ~3,500-4,000 stocks
The CRSP US Total Market Index includes essentially every investable US stock — large, mid, and small-cap. By construction, every S&P 500 name is inside VTI.
Guardfolio Research · ETF Overlap
VTI and VOO share all 10 of their top holdings, in the same order: Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet Class A, Broadcom, Alphabet Class C, Tesla, and Berkshire Hathaway. The minimum-weight overlap is 33.8%, but the full-fund overlap is closer to 80% because the S&P 500 sits inside VTI by construction. Holding both is duplication, not diversification.
VTI is VOO plus a thin tail of small- and mid-caps. Owning both is owning the S&P 500 twice.
The Data
The table below shows the 10 holdings that appear in both funds' top 10 — every single one — with each fund's weight. The combined effective weight in a 50/50 portfolio is shown in the final column.
| Stock | VTI weight | VOO weight | 50/50 combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple (AAPL) | 6.0% | 7.0% | 6.5% |
| Microsoft (MSFT) | 5.5% | 6.5% | 6.0% |
| Nvidia (NVDA) | 5.0% | 6.0% | 5.5% |
| Amazon (AMZN) | 3.1% | 3.7% | 3.4% |
| Meta (META) | 2.1% | 2.5% | 2.3% |
| Alphabet Class A (GOOGL) | 1.7% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
| Broadcom (AVGO) | 1.5% | 1.8% | 1.7% |
| Alphabet Class C (GOOG) | 1.4% | 1.7% | 1.6% |
| Tesla (TSLA) | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) | 1.2% | 1.4% | 1.3% |
| Total top-10 weight | 33.8% | 34.1% | 31.5% |
Weights are approximate, sourced from public issuer fact sheets and refreshed quarterly. The 33.8% overlap figure is the minimum shared weight (taking the lesser of each fund's weight per holding). Notice that the holdings are not just shared — they appear in identical rank order in both funds.
Most portfolios hold more than two ETFs. Connect your accounts and see how VTI, VOO, and every other fund you own actually stack — across all brokerages.
7-day free trial · cancel anytime · the 2-ETF tool requires no signup
The Bigger Number
The 33.8% figure above only counts top-10 holdings. The real overlap between VTI and VOO is much higher because the S&P 500 is contained inside VTI by construction:
The CRSP US Total Market Index includes essentially every investable US stock — large, mid, and small-cap. By construction, every S&P 500 name is inside VTI.
Because VTI is market-cap weighted and US large-caps dominate the market, the same 500 names VOO holds make up roughly 82% of VTI's weight. Add in mid-caps (~12%) and small-caps (~6%).
A 50/50 VTI + VOO portfolio is effectively ~91% S&P 500 by weight. The "diversification" added by VTI's extra 3,000 small- and mid-cap names contributes about 9% of the combined portfolio.
Sector Comparison
The sector profiles are nearly identical. The 18% small/mid-cap tail in VTI shifts the weights only marginally compared to VOO:
| Sector | VTI | VOO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 30.0% | 31.5% | -1.5pp |
| Financial Services | 13.0% | 13.5% | -0.5pp |
| Healthcare | 11.5% | 11.0% | +0.5pp |
| Consumer Discretionary | 11.0% | 10.5% | +0.5pp |
| Communication Services | 9.0% | 9.5% | -0.5pp |
| Industrials | 9.0% | 8.0% | +1.0pp |
| Real Estate | 3.0% | 2.0% | +1.0pp |
No sector differs by more than 1.5 percentage points. The largest VTI tilt is toward Industrials, Real Estate, and Healthcare — sectors where small- and mid-caps are slightly more represented. Tech and Communication Services together: VTI 39%, VOO 41%. A negligible "diversification" effect.
Key Distinction
| VTI | VOO | |
|---|---|---|
| Index tracked | CRSP US Total Market | S&P 500 |
| Number of holdings | ~3,500-4,000 | ~500 |
| Includes small/mid-cap | Yes (~18% by weight) | No |
| Top-10 weight | ~33.8% | ~34.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Tech + Comms weight | ~39% | ~41% |
| Main use case | Total US market core | S&P 500 large-cap core |
The honest summary: VTI is "VOO plus 18% of small- and mid-cap stocks." Same fee, same top-10 holdings, same sector profile within a percentage point or two. Either is a fine single-fund US equity core; pick one, not both.
Practical Implications
Adding VOO contributes almost no new exposure. You're paying nothing extra in fees (both 0.03%), but you're also gaining nothing meaningful in diversification. The decision is effectively neutral, not additive.
Adding VTI adds roughly 18% of small- and mid-cap exposure to that portion of your portfolio. Useful if you want broader market coverage, but a dedicated small-cap ETF gives you that more efficiently.
VTI and VOO are similar enough that the IRS wash sale rules may apply when swapping between them. Many investors use them as a tax-loss harvesting pair, but the substantial similarity is a real risk — confirm with your tax advisor.
Holding both creates extra rebalancing friction with no real benefit. A single fund (either one) plus a separate small-cap allocation is cleaner and gives you explicit control over small-cap weight.
Alternatives
If you want to extend your US large-cap core with genuinely independent exposure, these pairings work better than doubling up on VTI + VOO:
IWM tracks the Russell 2000 small-caps. Zero top-10 holdings overlap with VOO. True diversification across market-cap bands — and a cleaner expression of small-cap exposure than VTI's diluted version.
Small-cap value funds add a different factor exposure entirely. Historically low correlation with mega-cap growth, near-zero top-10 overlap with VOO.
VXUS is Vanguard's all-cap international ETF — covers developed and emerging markets ex-US. Near-zero overlap with VTI, and the classic "complete the market" pairing.
SCHD's dividend screen filters out most mega-cap growth names. Very low overlap with VOO, different factor exposure (value + quality), different rate sensitivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages