Total US Stock Market
A total-market index aims to hold the entire investable US stock market — large, mid, small and micro caps in one basket. Because it is cap-weighted, its top holdings still mirror the S&P 500 megacaps.
How the Total US Stock Market is built
Captures nearly the whole US equity market by market cap; the giants at the top dominate returns while the long tail adds breadth.
Methodology: official index-provider documentation ↗
What to check before using the Total US Stock Market as a benchmark
- It spans company sizes, but market-cap weighting still makes the largest companies the biggest return drivers.
- Broader membership adds small- and mid-cap exposure that a large-cap benchmark does not have.
- The index’s precise eligible universe and reconstitution rules matter when comparing one total-market fund with another.
Biggest companies in the Total US Stock Market
via VTI · as of May 2026Top holdings shown via the tracking ETF VTI (membership only, no weights). Source: stockanalysis.com.
How to invest in the Total US Stock Market
You can’t buy an index directly — you buy a fund that tracks it. The most common way to follow the Total US Stock Market is the VTI ETF. Because it’s market-cap weighted, remember the largest holdings drive most of the moves — if you already own those names, you may be more concentrated than the broad label suggests.
Other major indexes
Frequently asked about the Total US Stock Market
What does a total US stock market index measure?
A total US stock market index aims to represent the investable US equity market across large, mid, small and micro-cap companies. The exact coverage depends on the provider’s eligibility rules.
Is a total-market index the same as the S&P 500?
No. A total-market index includes smaller companies in addition to large caps. However, market-cap weighting means its largest holdings can still resemble the S&P 500’s largest holdings.
How can investors get total-market exposure?
An index cannot be purchased directly. VTI is an ETF designed to track a broad US total-market index; the fund and the index are separate products and documents.
Educational overview of an index and its membership — not investment advice, and not a recommendation to buy or sell any index fund or company. Holdings are a periodic snapshot and change over time.