The 30 Dow Jones Stocks

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI -0.98%) is the second-oldest active market indicator, as well as the most widely covered. At any given time, only 30 stocks make up the index, and they comprise a diverse basket of companies from all sectors of the market. All 30 companies are considered blue chip industry stalwarts, household names with long track records of success and stability. Currently, nine of the 30 components are Dividend Aristocrats, meaning they've paid increasing dividends for at least 25 consecutive years.

Thanks to the DJIA's unique share-price weighting system, certain components have a disproportionate influence on the index. Take pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, for example. These companies are within striking distance of each other with market caps between $200 billion and $300 billion. However, because Johnson & Johnson's share price is currently around $103, it has about three times the impact on the DJIA as Pfizer, whose shares currently trade for $34.

This quirk kept Apple from joining the index until recently. The world's biggest tech company, despite its massive influence on the economy and the markets, was excluded from the Dow Jones Industrial Average because its share price of about $600 would have given it outsize influence on the index. However, when the company split its stock 7-for-1, it became a viable Dow addition.

The 30 Dow Jones stocks are listed alphabetically below, along with their corresponding ticker symbols and a helpful link to a stock quote page.

For more breaking news and analysis on the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, head over to The Motley Fool.