Total US Stock Market Index
Historical returns and performance of the entire U.S. stock market
What is the Total US Stock Market Index?
The Total US Stock Market Index represents virtually the entire investable U.S. stock market, including large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. It typically contains over 4,000 companies and covers nearly 100% of the U.S. equity market.
This is the broadest possible exposure to U.S. stocks in a single investment. It's market-cap weighted, so large companies like Apple and Microsoft still dominate, but you also get exposure to thousands of smaller companies.
On StocksBio, we use VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF) as our benchmark. VTI is one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to invest in the total market, with an expense ratio of just 0.03%.
Total Market Historical Returns
Based on VTI ETF data. $1,000 invested at the start of each period.
Total Market CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate)
The Total Market Index closely tracks the S&P 500 (since large-caps dominate both), but includes additional exposure to mid-cap, small-cap, and micro-cap stocks. This provides slightly more diversification and exposure to emerging growth companies.
Total Market Monthly Statistics
Understanding the Total Market Index
Why Choose Total Market Over S&P 500?
The Total Market Index offers several advantages:
- Maximum diversification: 4,000+ stocks vs 500
- Small-cap exposure: Includes high-growth small companies
- True market representation: Covers nearly 100% of investable U.S. equity
- Lower cost: VTI has 0.03% expense ratio vs 0.09% for SPY
Total Market vs S&P 500 Performance
Historically, the Total Market and S&P 500 perform very similarly because large-caps dominate both. The main difference is during periods when small-caps outperform (typically early economic recoveries) or underperform (typically during recessions).
VTI vs Other Total Market ETFs
On StocksBio, we use VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF). Other popular options include:
- ITOT (iShares) - 0.03% expense ratio
- SPTM (SPDR) - 0.03% expense ratio
- SCHB (Schwab) - 0.03% expense ratio
All track similar indices and have nearly identical performance.