At a glance
AGG’s holdings mature in 12.4 years on average and BND’s in 11.7 years, with average coupons of 3.85% and 3.86%. AGG is an ordinary open-end ETF and BND a share class of Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund, which also sells mutual fund shares. Both charge 0.03% a year, $30 on every $100,000. AGG has $138.32B in assets and BND $397.11B (all share classes); over the past 12 months AGG paid out 4.13% of its price and BND 4.12%, both monthly. Over the past year AGG returned −0.4% and BND −0.4% with distributions reinvested; over five years, −0.2% and −0.3% a year. In the 2022 bear market AGG fell 14.5% at its worst and BND 14.6%; both were back at their earlier highs 36 months after the low.
Key differences
| AGG | BND | |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| Structure | Open-end ETF | ETF share class |
| Type | Broad market | Broad market |
| Launched | Sep 22, 2003 | Apr 3, 2007 |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Cost a year on $100,000 | $30 | $30 |
| Net assets | $138.32B | $397.11B * |
| Holdings | 13,382 | 17,408 |
| Ten largest positions | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| Average maturity | 12.4 years | 11.7 years |
| Average coupon | 3.85% | 3.86% |
| Yield (12 months) | 4.13% | 4.12% |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Portfolio turnover | 62% a year | 38% a year |
| Price data from | Jul 14, 2005 | Apr 10, 2007 |
Structure and tax notes
- Both: Bond prices move opposite to interest rates; the longer the maturities it holds, the more its price reacts to rate changes.
- BND: An exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund, which also sells mutual fund shares; its net assets count every share class.
Holdings and overlap
Overlap adds up, for every security both funds own, the smaller of its two weights: 100% would mean identical portfolios. The holdings reports list AGG and BND beyond their 600 largest positions only (59% of AGG, 56% of BND), so the figures are floors. Bond funds seldom own the same issues even when they behave alike; maturity and the kind of issuer say more.
By issuer
| Issuer | AGG | BND |
|---|---|---|
| US Treasury | 46.02% | 48.14% |
| Companies | 24.95% | 28.24% |
| US government-sponsored enterprises | 18.26% | 15.45% |
| US government agencies | 5.61% | 4.82% |
| Foreign governments | 2.33% | 1.71% |
| Other | 0.83% | — |
| Municipalities | 0.38% | 0.39% |
Returns
$10,000 put into AGG on Apr 30, 2007 was worth $17,352 on Nov 2, 2026, and in BND $17,548 (+2.9% and +2.9% a year). That is as far back as the price data for both goes.
| 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGG price data to Nov 2, 2026 | -0.4% | +4.7% | -0.2% | +1.4% |
| AGG official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | +7.19% | — | -0.38% | +1.97% |
| BND price data to Nov 2, 2026 | -0.4% | +4.7% | -0.3% | +1.4% |
| BND official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | +7.11% | — | -0.40% | +2.00% |
Calendar years
| Year | AGG | BND | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -0.8% * | -0.7% * | — |
| 2025 | +7.2% | +7.1% | AGG +0.1 |
| 2024 | +1.3% | +1.4% | BND +0.1 |
| 2023 | +5.6% | +5.6% | — |
| 2022 | -13.0% | -13.1% | AGG +0.1 |
| 2021 | -1.8% | -1.9% | AGG +0.1 |
| 2020 | +7.5% | +7.7% | BND +0.2 |
| 2019 | +8.5% | +8.8% | BND +0.4 |
| 2018 | +0.1% | +0.1% | — |
| 2017 | +3.6% | +3.6% | — |
Downturns and recovery
| AGG | BND | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | −12.8% at the worst; back at its high 2 months after the low | −9.3% at the worst; back at its high 2 months after the low |
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | −9.6% at the worst; back at its high 2 months after the low | −8.7% at the worst; back at its high 2 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | −14.5% at the worst; back at its high 36 months after the low | −14.6% at the worst; back at its high 36 months after the low |
| Worst fall in the price data | −18.4% (Aug 4, 2020 – Oct 20, 2022) | −18.6% (Aug 6, 2020 – Oct 20, 2022) |
Income
| Year | AGG | BND |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $401 | $398 |
| 2024 | $365 | $358 |
| 2023 | $320 | $315 |
| 2022 | $204 | $221 |
| 2021 | $172 | $203 |
| 2020 | $226 | $248 |
| 2019 | $285 | $287 |
| 2018 | $264 | $295 |
Costs
Both funds charge 0.03% a year. The fee comes out of each fund's assets, so it is already in the returns above.
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGG | $3 | $10 | $17 | $39 |
| BND | $3 | $10 | $17 | $39 |