VWALX Performance — Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund, Admiral Shares
Data updated: 2026-09-28
VWALX returned +1.31% year to date and +7.33% over one year to Jul 2026. Annualised returns are +4.23% over 3 years and +0.81% over 5 years. The fund beat its Long-Term Corporate Bond category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $113, against $111 for the category, and to $107 over one year, against $102. Volatility over the past three years was 6.75% a year. In the 12 months to Jul 2026 the fund took in a net $1.5B, and assets reached $17.51B.
VWALX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the Long-Term Corporate Bond category average over the same months.
| Period | VWALX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Aug 2025 – Jul 2026) | $107 | $102 |
| 3 years (Aug 2023 – Jul 2026) | $113 | $111 |
| 5 years (Aug 2021 – Jul 2026) | $104 | $93 |
| Since data start (Aug 2019 – Jul 2026) | $117 | $108 |
VWALX Trailing Returns
Total returns to Jul 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +1.31% |
| 1 year | +7.33% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +4.23% |
| 5 years (annualised) | +0.81% |
VWALX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Jul) | +1.31% |
| 2025 | +4.00% |
| 2024 | +3.39% |
| 2023 | +8.44% |
| 2022 | −11.70% |
| 2021 | +3.94% |
| 2020 | +5.47% |
| 2019 (Aug–Dec) | +2.06% |
VWALX Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +0.6% | +1.7% | −2.2% | +1.3% | +0.7% | +1.1% | −1.9% | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +0.3% | +1.2% | −1.8% | −1.1% | −0.5% | +0.8% | −0.7% | +0.8% | +3.3% | +1.4% | +0.3% | 0.0% |
| 2024 | +0.1% | +0.2% | +0.4% | −1.3% | +0.2% | +2.0% | +0.9% | +0.7% | +1.3% | −1.5% | +1.8% | −1.5% |
| 2023 | +3.8% | −2.5% | +2.0% | +0.3% | −0.7% | +1.2% | +0.3% | −1.4% | −3.2% | −2.0% | +7.7% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | −2.7% | −0.8% | −3.4% | −3.5% | +1.4% | −2.9% | +3.3% | −2.7% | −4.7% | −1.6% | +5.8% | −0.2% |
| 2021 | +1.2% | −1.6% | +0.8% | +1.3% | +0.8% | +0.7% | +0.9% | −0.3% | −0.9% | −0.2% | +1.1% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | +2.0% | +1.7% | −6.2% | −2.7% | +3.4% | +2.5% | +2.1% | −0.1% | −0.1% | 0.0% | +1.9% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | +2.0% | −0.7% | 0.0% | +0.3% | +0.4% |
VWALX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Aug 2023 – Jul 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 6.75%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: -0.04 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +7.66% (Nov 2023)
- Worst month: −3.18% (Sep 2023)
VWALX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: $1.5B
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $4.9B
- Sales ÷ redemptions: 1.47×
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | $364.2M | $239.5M | $124.7M |
| Jun 2026 | $330.1M | $255.5M | $74.6M |
| May 2026 | $520.5M | $328.2M | $192.3M |
| Apr 2026 | $377.0M | $246.0M | $131.0M |
| Mar 2026 | $336.7M | $309.5M | $27.2M |
| Feb 2026 | $431.3M | $209.4M | $221.9M |
| Jan 2026 | $515.9M | $262.6M | $253.2M |
| Dec 2025 | $422.6M | $366.8M | $55.9M |
| Nov 2025 | $362.5M | $247.6M | $115.0M |
| Oct 2025 | $425.2M | $240.7M | $184.5M |
| Sep 2025 | $393.1M | $252.8M | $140.3M |
| Aug 2025 | $373.0M | $346.1M | $26.8M |
VWALX Assets Under Management
Net assets of Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-31 | $17.51B |
| 2026-04-30 | $17.31B |
| 2026-01-31 | $16.98B |
| 2025-10-31 | $16.57B |
| 2025-07-31 | $15.52B |
| 2025-04-30 | $15.78B |
| 2025-01-31 | $16.21B |
| 2024-10-31 | $16.11B |
| 2024-07-31 | $15.85B |
| 2024-04-30 | $15.31B |
| 2024-01-31 | $15.21B |
| 2023-10-31 | $13.77B |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.