20 High-Yield Dividend Stocks to Buy in 2025

There's no official definition of a high-yield dividend stock. However, most investors would classify it as a stock with a dividend yield higher than a common benchmark such as the S&P 500 index or a 10-year U.S. Treasury note.

In late 2024, the dividend yield on the S&P 500 averaged about 1.2%, its lowest level in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year note was around 4.2%, a relatively high level compared to recent years due to the Federal Reserve maintaining elevated interest rates.

Many investors would consider a stock to have a high dividend yield if it were double the S&P 500; others would require a payout at or above the 10-year note level. Those baseline measurements aside, investors shouldn't buy a stock solely because of its dividend yield.

They need to make sure the dividend payments are sustainable. The company should be high-quality, with durable cash flow, a strong balance sheet, and visible growth potential. With all that in mind, here are 20 high-yield dividend stocks to consider buying for dividend income.

20 stocks to buy

20 high-yield dividend stocks to watch

Here's a brief look at what makes each of these high-yield dividend stocks look like attractive buys in 2025.

Stocks 1-5

1. AbbVie

Drugmaker AbbVie has had an excellent dividend track record since its 2013 spinoff from Abbott Labs (ABT 0.95%). From its inception through late 2024, AbbVie has increased its payout by a whopping 310%. The company has also carried on the dividend growth legacy it inherited from Abbott by boosting its payout every year.

AbbVie has invested heavily to develop new therapies. It's spending about 15% of its revenue on research and development (R&D). It has also made several blockbuster acquisitions, including closing its deal for Cerevel Therapeutics in late 2024 to refill its pipeline and drive future growth. That puts it in excellent shape to keep the dividend income flowing and growing.

2. Mid-America Apartment Communities

As one of the largest apartment owners in the country, Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA) benefits from collecting steady rental income to support its high-yielding payout. The real estate investment trust (REIT) also boasts a top-tier financial profile. The company's financial strength allows it to expand its apartment portfolio by developing and acquiring new communities.

Since its 1994 initial public offering (IPO), MAA has never suspended or reduced its dividend. As of late 2024, it had raised its payment for 14 years in a row. With demand for apartments continuing to grow, the REIT should be able to keep increasing its dividend in the coming years.

3. Brookfield Infrastructure

Brookfield Infrastructure operates a diversified portfolio of infrastructure businesses focused on utilities, transportation, energy (midstream), and data. The businesses generate relatively stable cash flow to support its growing dividend. The infrastructure stock delivered its 15th straight yearly payout increase in early 2024 and has grown its dividend at a 9% compound annual rate.

Brookfield envisions increasing its dividend at an annual rate of 5% to 9% over the long term, powered by the organic growth of its existing businesses and acquisitions. The company's organic growth drivers of inflation-linked rate increases, volume growth as the global economy expands, and expansion projects should grow its funds from operations (FFO) by more than 10% per share over the next few years.

Meanwhile, future acquisitions will further pad its bottom line. The company routinely recycles capital by selling mature businesses and reinvesting the proceeds into higher-return new investments.

3. Brookfield Renewable

Brookfield Renewable is a sibling company of Brookfield Infrastructure. Brookfield Corporation (BN -2.55%) controls both companies.

This Brookfield entity focuses on renewable energy, including hydroelectric, wind, solar, and energy storage facilities. The assets generate steady cash flow backed by long-term power purchase agreements with utilities and other users, supporting Brookfield's high-yield dividend.

Brookfield has grown its payout at a 6% compound annual rate since 2001, while 2024 marked its 13th straight year of raising its payment by at least 5%. The company expects to increase its payout at an annual pace of 5% to 9% over the long term.

Powering that forecast are its organic growth drivers -- including an extensive pipeline of new renewable energy projects -- and additional acquisitions. Brookfield Renewable expects to grow its FFO per share by more than 10% annually through 2029.

5. Duke Energy

Duke Energy is a leading utility. The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers across six states, while its natural gas utilities provide gas to 1.7 million customers across five states. Its businesses generate very stable cash flows backed by government-regulated rate structures, which has enabled Duke to pay dividends to its investors for 98 consecutive years as of late 2024.

Duke has a large-scale investment program underway to expand its transmission and distribution network. These investments should grow its earnings per share by 5% to 7% annually through 2028. Earnings growth should enable the utility to continue increasing its dividends.

Stocks 6-10

6. Crown Castle International

Crown Castle is a REIT focused on owning communications infrastructure in the U.S., including cell towers, small cells, and fiber-optic networks. Its infrastructure is crucial to supporting the mobile industry's next-generation network: 5G. Crown Castle sees a decades-long opportunity to invest in new 5G-related infrastructure.

While the company is facing some near-term headwinds, it expects to be able to resume growing its already high-yielding dividend after 2025. It has increased its dividend payment at a 9% compound annual rate since 2016.

7. Chevron

The big oil giant's top financial priority is to sustain and grow its dividend. In 2024, the company delivered its 37th consecutive annual dividend increase, one of the longest streaks among oil stocks. Chevron has grown its dividend at a 6% compound annual rate over the last 15 years.

Its integrated operations, low-cost oil business, and lower-carbon energy investments position Chevron to sustain and grow its dividend. The oil giant has also been an active acquirer.

It bought PDC Energy and agreed to buy Hess (NYSE:HES). Those deals will boost its cash flow and growth prospects. As a result, Chevron has started accelerating its dividend growth rate, increasing its payout by 8% in early 2024.

8. Enbridge

Canadian oil pipeline giant Enbridge has been an outstanding dividend stock over the years. It has paid dividends for more than 69 years and has expanded its payout in each of the past 30 years.

While the world is transitioning its fuel supply from oil to cleaner alternatives, Enbridge is adapting by investing in infrastructure to support natural gas projects and renewable energy. The investments have the company on track to increase its cash flow per share by a mid-single-digit annual rate for the next several years, which should support continued dividend growth.

9. Enterprise Products Partners

Enterprise Products Partners ranks as one of the top players in the midstream oil and gas market. The master limited partnership (MLP) has increased its payout at least once annually for more than a quarter century.

The company continues to invest heavily to expand its midstream operations. It has billions of dollars of major capital projects underway that should enter commercial service through 2026. It also has a history of making accretive acquisitions. These and future investments should give Enterprise the fuel to continue increasing its dividend.

10. Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences pays one of the more attractive dividends in the biotechnology sector. The company has a solid dividend track record, having increased its payout every year since it initiated one in 2015. Its strong HIV franchise is the biotech's anchor.

The biotechnology company also has innovative medicines to prevent and treat viral hepatitis, COVID-19, and cancer. In addition, it has several promising drugs in the pipeline that should drive sales growth in the future.

Stocks 11-15

11. Healthpeak Properties

Leading healthcare REIT Healthpeak Properties owns a diversified portfolio of healthcare real estate, including medical office buildings, lab space, retirement communities, and other properties. These properties generate healthy rental income, giving it the cash flow to pay an attractive dividend.

Healthpeak Properties closed its acquisition of Physicians Realty Trust to create an even larger healthcare REIT. The transaction will significantly expand its medical office building portfolio while enhancing its ability to pay dividends.

12. Regions Financial

Regions Financial is one of the country's largest banks, focusing on the South and Midwest. It has a long history of paying dividends. While the company reset its payment level during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, it has increased the dividend 20-fold since that time.

It gave investors another raise in 2024, albeit a relatively minor one at 4.2%. With its banking and financial services businesses growing, Regions should be able to continue increasing its high-yielding payout in the future.

13. Extra Space Storage

Extra Space Storage is a REIT focused on owning, operating, and managing self-storage facilities. Over the past decade, it has been one of the best-performing stocks in the REIT sector.

A big driver is its rapidly rising dividend. Extra Space Storage has increased its payout by 245% over the last 10 years, and more growth seems likely. In 2023, it acquired fellow self-storage REIT LifeStorage for $15 billion. The transformational deal significantly increased its scale -- it's now the sector leader -- which should supply it with new growth opportunities in the future.

14. Whirlpool

Whirlpool has paid a dividend for 70 years. While the iconic appliance maker hasn't increased its payout every year, it has maintained its current high-yielding level since 2022. Meanwhile, it has increased its dividend by more than 100% in the past decade.

The company could resume dividend growth in the future. It has been cutting costs and investing in innovation in a bid to boost its free cash flow. It aims to grow its free cash flow from 3% of sales in 2024 ($500 million compared to $400 million in dividend payments) to 7% by 2026. That growing cash flow could give Whirlpool more money to increase its dividend.

15. Pfizer

Pfizer has paid dividends for about 345 consecutive quarters, increasing it in each of the last 15 years. The pharmaceutical giant's investments in research and development are paying off. The company developed one of the first vaccines against COVID-19 and followed that up with a successful oral treatment.

The commercial successes have enabled Pfizer to continue making research and development investments and strategic acquisitions (including $43 billion to battle cancer by acquiring Seagen in 2023). These investments should increase Pfizer's cash flow in the future, allowing it to continue funding future dividend payments.

Stocks 16-20

16. VICI Properties

VICI Properties is a REIT focused on owning experiential real estate, such as casinos and bowling entertainment centers. The company leases those properties back to operating companies under long-term triple net leases (NNN). The agreements supply it with steadily rising rental income from annual rate increases.

The company also steadily invests in new gaming and nongaming real estate. VICI Properties' growing income has enabled it to increase its dividend in each of the seven years since its formation. It has grown its dividend at a peer-leading 7% compound annual rate since 2018, much faster than the sector's 2.2% average.

17. Realty Income

Realty Income lives up to its name. The REIT, which pays a monthly dividend, has made more than 650 consecutive payments. Even better, it has increased its payout more than 125 times since its IPO in 1994, expanding it at a 4.3% compound annual rate. That adds up to 30 consecutive years of steady dividend growth.

A steady diet of acquisitions has driven that growth. Realty Income purchases single-tenant properties in sale-leaseback transactions, acquires larger property portfolios, and merges with other REITs to grow its portfolio, rental income, and dividend. It agreed to buy Spirit Realty in a $9.3 billion transaction that closed in 2024, increasing its scale, diversification, and cash flow per share.

18. Verizon Communications

Telecommunications giant Verizon has been a great income stock over the years. In 2024, the company delivered its 18th consecutive annual dividend increase, the longest current streak in the U.S. telecom sector.

Verizon should be able to continue increasing its dividend as it invests to transition its mobile network to 5G, bringing faster data speeds to its customers. The company also agreed to buy Frontier Communications (FYBR -0.38%) for $20 billion in 2024 in a deal that will increase the scale of its fiber operations and its earnings.

19. T. Rowe Price

Mutual fund manager T. Rowe Price has a long history of paying dividends.

The company raised its payment by 1.6% in early 2024, marking its 38th straight year of dividend growth. That steady dividend growth should continue as the company grows its assets under management (AUM) and its clients entrust it with more of their money.

20. Kenvue

Kenvue is new to paying dividends. The consumer health products company initiated its dividend in 2023 after separating from healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ 1.53%).

As a Dividend King with more than 60 years of dividend increases, its former parent leaves behind a long legacy of paying dividends. Kenvue should carry on that legacy. The company has a strong portfolio of iconic healthcare brands that generate lots of cash flow. It also has a healthy balance sheet. Those features put it in an excellent position to grow its cash flow and dividend payments.

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Great income now, more later

All 20 of these dividend stocks offer an above-average yield, making them stand out in a time when many companies don't pay very high dividends. Even better, each one has a solid track record of steadily increasing its dividend and showing no signs of stopping, so they're great income stocks to buy and hold for the long haul.

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