The Dow Jones Industrial Average is one of the oldest and hallowed stock market indices in the world. Created in 1896, the Dow consists of 30 large-cap American companies, many of which pay dividends.

While many companies in the Dow are considered blue chips, they certainly aren't created equal, nor are all the industrial average's dividend stocks necessarily safe bets for dependable income. In June 2018, for example, General Electric (GE) was booted from the index after having been a member for more than a century.

GE's share price had slumped more than 50% in the year leading up to the firm's removal from the Dow, and management also had cut the dividend for just the second time since the Great Depression.

To help identify the best dividend growth stocks in the Dow and avoid the GEs of the world, research firm Simply Safe Dividends utilizes a Dividend Safety Score system that has caught more than 98% of dividend cuts in advance.

We'll use that system to take a closer look at nine Dow dividend growth stocks that appear positioned to reward shareholders with safe and solid payout expansion in the years ahead.

3M

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A member of the exclusive analyzed by Simply Safe Dividends, 3M (, $183.76) not only boasts six centuries of