When it comes to dividend stocks, yield isn't everything. If you're an income investor in it for the long haul, you know that steadily rising payouts are a vital factor, too.

For one, dividend increases lift the yield on an investor's original cost basis, meaning today's 1% yield might be much more in the future. They're also indicative of a firm's ability to withstand the ups and downs of the economy, as well as the stock market.

Enter the Dividend Aristocrats.

The Dividend Aristocrats are companies in the S&P 500 Index that have improved their annual payouts every year for at least 25 consecutive years. It's a mix of household names as well as companies with less name recognition that nonetheless play an outsize role in the American economy, even if it's mostly behind the scenes. But all of them offer some size, longevity and familiarity, providing comfort amid market uncertainty.

Here are the current 64 Dividend Aristocrats - including the newest faces that were just added in January 2020. These have been among the best dividend stocks for income growth over the past few decades, and they're a great place to start if you're looking to add new dividend holdings to your long-term portfolios.

Roper Technologies

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Roper Technologies (ROP, $379.71) - an industrial company whose businesses include medical and scientific imaging, RF technology and software, and energy systems and controls, among others - was added to the list of the best dividend stocks for income growth in 2018.

The diversified industrial company was tapped for the Dividend Aristocrats after it hiked its cash distribution for a 25th straight year at the end of 2017. Then in November 2018, ROP raised its dividend by 12% to 46.25 cents per share quarterly. The most recent hike came in November 2019, when the quarterly payout was lifted another 10.8%, to 51.25 cents per share.

A combination of acquisitions, organic growth and stronger margins have helped Roper juice its dividend without stretching its profits. With a payout ratio of just 15%, versus 40% for the S&P 500, this dividend stock should have ample room to keep the hikes coming for many years to come.

Sherwin-Williams

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Sherwin-Williams (SHW, $574.91) is one of the largest paints, coatings and home-improvement companies in the world, thanks in large part to its $11 billion acquisition of Valspar in 2017.

The company stumbled to start 2020 when it missed Wall Street's forecast for fourth-quarter adjusted earnings per share, hurt by a stronger dollar and trade-related weakness in its international segment. But longer-term, analysts expect better-than-average profit growth. Analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence expect earnings to grow at an average annual rate of almost 13% for the next five years.

Income investors certainly don't need to worry about Sherwin-Williams' steady and rising dividend stream. SHW has hiked its distribution every year since 1979, including a 31% jump in mid-February 2019, and it pays out a mere 19% of its earnings as dividends.

Cintas

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Cintas (CTAS, $282.01) is perhaps best-known for providing corporate uniforms, but the company also offers maintenance supplies, tile and carpet cleaning services and even compliance training. As such, it's seen by some investors as a bet on jobs growth.

There may be something to that. Shares have shot 255% higher over the past five years, versus a gain of just 58% for the S&P 500. The current economic expansion has been going on for a record 10.5 years. Meanwhile, weekly jobless claims stand at levels not seen in 50 years.

Regardless of how the labor market is doing, Cintas is a stalwart as a dividend payer. The company has raised its payout every year since going public in 1983. Most recently, in October, CTAS raised its annual dividend by 24% to $2.55 per share.

NEW ARISTOCRAT: Ross Stores

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Ross Stores (ROST, $113.83) is an off-price apparel and home goods chain with more than 1,550 locations across 39 states, the District of Columbia and Guam; it also operates roughly 260 DD's Discounts stores across 19 states.

While Ross helps consumers save money, it has never been stingy with its dividend. The retailer has raised its payout for 25 consecutive years, landing it on the list of Dividend Aristocrats in January 2020. ROST's last hike came in March, when it lifted the quarterly payout by more than 13% to 25.5 cents per share.

Analysts expect the chain to post average annual earnings growth of more than 9% for the next three to five years. Add in a payout ratio of just 20%, and there's plenty of reason to feel good that ROST's dividend streak will go on and on.

S&P Global

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Formerly known as McGraw Hill Financial, S&P Global (SPGI, $295.67) is the company behind S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Market Intelligence and S&P Global Platts. Although most investors probably know it for its majority stake in S&P Dow Jones Indices - which maintains the benchmark S&P 500 index - it's also a central player in corporate and financial analytics, information and research.

S&P Global has paid a dividend each year since 1937 and is one of fewer than 25 companies in the S&P 500 that has increased its dividend annually for at least 47 years, the company notes. Most recently, in January, SPGI raised its quarterly payout by a healthy 17.5% to 67 cents a share.

Ecolab

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