Higher interest rates have weighed on the value of dividend-paying stocks. That has pushed up their dividend yields, allowing investors to generate a lot more passive investment income.

For example, a $15,000 investment spread equally across leading dividend stocks Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI), (NYSE: VZ), and W. P. Carey (NYSE: WPC) could generate more than $1,000 of annual dividend income. Here's what makes them such great options for income-seeking investors.

Verizon, Kinder Morgan, and W. P. Carey currently offer high dividend yields due in part to a sell-off in their stock prices (they're all down more than 10% from their 52-week high). Those higher yields enable these stocks to generate more dividend income per dollar invested. Here's a look at how much income a $5,000 investment in each of these stocks would produce:

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Source Fool.com