At a glance
SUSA charges 0.25% a year, above the 0.07% average of the 8 funds most like it (the most expensive of 9). It has $4.03B in assets, the 7th largest of that group; it paid 0.82% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), the best of those 9 funds; over three years it returned +24.1% a year. At its worst it fell 32.9% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 28.0% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 4 months and 16 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 33.2% of the fund, out of 193 in all.
The short version
iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF (SUSA) is a BlackRock index fund that tracks the MSCI USA Extended ESG Select Index. The index holds large and mid-sized US companies and gives more weight to those with stronger environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings. It excludes businesses such as tobacco, weapons and fossil fuel extraction. Its 0.25% annual fee is the highest of nine similar funds, which averaged 0.07%. BlackRock's own ESGU charges 0.15%.
Price history
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SUSA +14.4% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSA official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +15.72% | — | +12.47% | +14.43% | — |
| MSCIUSA Index index, same period | — | +17.75% | — | +13.87% | +14.79% | — |
| MSCIUSA Extended ESG Select Index index, same period | — | +16.10% | — | +12.75% | +14.79% | — |
| SUSA price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +14.3% | +14.4% | +24.1% | +10.6% | — | +14.6% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, SUSA returned +14.4%, 1st of 9 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +10.6%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 32.9% and regained its old high 3.9 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-21.4%); its best was 2019 (+32.1%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 32.9% (Feb 19, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020), recovered by Jul 20, 2020.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +14.3% | — |
| 2025 | +15.7% | +15.72% |
| 2024 | +22.4% | +22.41% |
| 2023 | +23.9% | +23.87% |
| 2022 | -21.4% | -21.31% |
| 2021 | +30.4% | +30.31% |
| 2020 | +24.7% | +24.64% |
| 2019 | +32.1% | +32.18% |
| 2018 | -5.6% | -5.56% |
| 2017 | — | +22.52% |
| 2016 | — | +12.25% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Not in the price data, which starts Aug 24, 2017 |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 32.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 32.9%, back to its old high 3.9 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 28% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 28%, back to its old high 15.9 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.9500 | |
| 2025 | $1.2400 | -11.4% |
| 2024 | $1.4000 | +5.3% |
| 2023 | $1.3300 | +5.6% |
| 2022 | $1.2600 | +21.2% |
| 2021 | $1.0400 | +8.9% |
| 2020 | $0.9550 | -6.4% |
| 2019 | $1.0200 | +14.0% |
| 2018 | $0.8950 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 193 securities; the ten largest made up 33.18% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION | 7.35% | |
| APPLE INC. | 6.67% | |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION | 4.86% | |
| ALPHABET INC. | 3.42% | |
| BROADCOM INC. | 2.73% | |
| ALPHABET INC. Class A | 2.59% | |
| THE HARTFORD INSURANCE GROUP, INC. | 1.41% | |
| ELI LILLY AND COMPANY | 1.41% | |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. | 1.38% | |
| TESLA, INC. | 1.36% | |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. | 1.33% | |
| MORGAN STANLEY | 1.29% | |
| APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. | 1.15% | |
| The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation | 1.11% | |
| THE HOME DEPOT, INC. | 1.10% |
By country
United States 95.12%Ireland 3.29%United Kingdom 0.5%Switzerland 0.32%Netherlands 0.29%By asset type
Stocks 99.83%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 84.6% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Jul 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $11.7M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +5.38%, +0.57%, -0.81%.
How it works
SUSA tracks the MSCI USA Extended ESG Select Index. The index starts from the MSCI USA Index, which covers large and mid-sized US companies. MSCI rates each company on ESG and ethics criteria. It removes companies involved in tobacco, alcohol, gambling, nuclear power, weapons, civilian firearms, fossil fuel extraction, thermal coal power and oil sands, along with companies facing very severe controversies. Many of these exclusions apply once a company earns more than a set share of its revenue from the activity, such as 10%.
The index is "optimized." Higher-rated companies get more weight than they have in the MSCI USA Index, and lower-rated ones get less. Limits on stock and sector weights keep risk and return close to the parent index. At each quarterly review, the index's ESG score must be at least 20% better than the MSCI USA Index's. A cap keeps the largest holdings (those above 4.5% each) to a combined 22.5%. A daily check can trigger an extra rebalance. As of April 30, 2026, the index held 170 stocks, and technology made up a large share.
BlackRock uses representative sampling. That means it buys a set of stocks that behaves like the index but may not own every one. It generally keeps at least 90% of assets in index stocks. It may also use futures, such as S&P 500 E-mini contracts, and can lend out up to one-third of its assets. Portfolio turnover was 25%.
What it really costs
- SUSA charges 0.25% a year, versus an average of 0.07% for the similar funds below (9th of 9, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $26 in the first year and $318 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSA | $26 | $80 | $141 | $318 |
In a retirement portfolio
It holds about 190 large and mid-sized US companies and is built to behave like the overall US stock market, with an ESG tilt.
SUSA could serve as the main US stock holding for someone who wants an ESG screen, but it falls as hard as the market. It dropped 32.9% from February 19 to March 23, 2020, and was back at its old peak by July 20, 2020. In the 2022 bear market it fell 28% and did not regain its peak until February 7, 2024. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -21.31%. Price data starts in 2017, so it doesn't show how the fund did in 2008. Anyone who had to sell shares near those lows to cover spending would have locked in losses. Income is small: the yield was 0.82% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly. In the SEC's standard example, the 0.25% fee costs $318 over 10 years on $10,000. Past results don't predict future returns, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want broad US large- and mid-cap stocks tilted toward higher MSCI ESG ratings, without tobacco, weapons or fossil fuel extraction.
- Long-term holders who can accept market-sized drops, like the 28% fall in 2022, for returns broadly similar to the US market.
- Those comfortable with heavy tech exposure: NVIDIA, Apple and Microsoft made up about 19% of assets as of July 31, 2026.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: at 0.25%, SUSA was the most expensive of nine similar funds. ESGU charges 0.15%, and VOO and IVV charge 0.03%.
- Income seekers: the trailing yield was just 0.82% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly.
- Those who don't want to trail the market: SUSA's five-year return was 12.47% a year, against 13.87% for the MSCI USA Index, through December 31, 2025.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSA this fund | — | 0.25% | $4.03B | +14.4% | +24.1% |
| ESGU iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF | 71% | 0.15% | $18.15B | +11.0% | +21.6% |
| BKLC BNY Mellon US Large Cap Core Equity ETF | 58% | 0% | $5.47B | +13.4% | +25.4% |
| USPX Franklin U.S. Equity Index ETF | 58% | 0.03% | $1.98B | +12.9% | +24.9% |
| VV Vanguard Large Cap ETF | 58% | 0.04% | $73.83B | +12.0% | +23.8% |
| SPYX SPDR S&P 500 Fossil Fuel Reserves Free ETF | 58% | 0.2% | $2.74B | +12.6% | +24.8% |
| SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | 58% | 0.0945% | $781.19B | +11.5% | +21.9% |
| VOO Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | 58% | 0.03% | $1.67T | +12.4% | +23.6% |
Questions investors ask
Is SUSA good for retirement?
It can work as a core US stock holding for retirees who want an ESG tilt, but it isn't built for income. As of December 31, 2025, it returned 14.43% a year over 10 years and 12.47% over five. The MSCI USA Index returned 14.79% and 13.87%. SUSA fell 32.9% in early 2020 and 28% in 2022, and it yielded only 0.82% as of October 27, 2026.
What's the difference between SUSA and ESGU?
Both are iShares ESG funds of US stocks, and about 71% of their holdings overlap. ESGU is cheaper, at 0.15% a year versus 0.25%. It is also much larger: $18.1 billion in net assets as of August 31, 2026, versus $4.0 billion for SUSA as of July 31, 2026. Over one year, SUSA returned 14.4% (through October 27, 2026) and ESGU 13.1% (through October 29). Over three years, ESGU led slightly, at 24.6% a year versus 24.1%.
What is SUSA's expense ratio?
SUSA's expense ratio is 0.25% a year, according to its prospectus filed August 21, 2026. In the SEC's standard example ($10,000 invested, earning 5% a year), costs would total about $26 after one year, $141 after five years and $318 after 10. That is the highest of the nine similar funds compared. Their average was 0.07%, and VOO and IVV charge 0.03%.
Does SUSA pay dividends?
Yes. SUSA pays dividends every quarter. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid $1.30 per share, a yield of 0.82%. That yield is low, so the fund works more as a growth holding than a source of regular income. Retirees who need cash flow would likely rely on other holdings or on selling shares.
What are SUSA's top holdings?
As of July 31, 2026, SUSA's largest holdings were NVIDIA (7.4%), Apple (6.7%), Microsoft (4.9%), Alphabet (about 6.0% across two share classes) and Broadcom (2.7%). The fund held 193 companies, and its top 10 positions made up 33.2% of assets. Technology was by far the largest sector, at about 37%, followed by financials at 11.6%.