The stock market might be way up, but not for Pennsylvania's top businesses

2017 was a great year for the stock market. But stocks for top businesses headquartered in Pennsylvania didn't fair so well.

On Jan. 5, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was more than 25 percent higher than a year ago. The NASDAQ was up nearly 30 percent.

But stocks for the 20 top Pennsylvania companies, as ranked by the Fortune 500 list, were flat — They averaged just slightly less than a year ago.

More:Dow closes above 25,000, extending milestone-breaking run for blue-chip stock index

That list includes some well-known Pennsylvania businesses, such as Philadelphia-based Comcast (which was up about 16 percent) and Camp Hill-based Rite Aid (which was down about 75 percent).

It also includes some businesses with less regional recognition, including Genesis Healthcare — a company headquartered in Kennett Square, that holds "approximately 450 skilled nursing centers and senior living communities in 29 states nationwide," according to its website. Its stock dropped 80 percent over the past year.

Nationally, stock market gains have been fueled by a global economic recovery and optimism surrounding the Republican tax-cut bill.

Read:Viral video of man plowing snow with lawn mower and cardboard box is Pa.'s proudest moment

But some of the top Pennsylvania businesses are much smaller than those in national indexes.

For example, the Pennsylvania list is rounded out by Toll Brothers — a luxury home builder based in Horsham that employs 4,200, according to Fortune. Its stock is up nearly 60 percent since January 2017.

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones 30-stock index includes leading U.S. companies such as Apple, McDonald's and Wal-Mart.

Pa.'s top companies stock gains and losses:

Data from Google Finance, Yahoo Finance and MSN Money. Yearly differences calculated from Jan. 5, 2017, to Jan, 5, 2018.

AmerisourceBergen: +12.5%

Comcast: +16.0%

Rite Aid: -74.6%

Kraft Heinz: -11.0%

PNC Financial Services Group: +23.2%

PPG Industries: +22.8%

Aramark: +21.7%

Lincoln National: +18.1%

Universal Health Services: +3.7%

United States Steel: +4.9%

Air Products & Chemicals: +16.6%

Crown Holdings: +5.5%

Dick’s Sporting Goods: -43.6%

PPL: -10.3%

Hershey: +8.7%

WESCO International: -2.0%

Erie Insurance Group: +6.8%

Genesis Healthcare: -82.3%

UGI: +2.4%

Toll Brothers: +57.3%

—

PA average: -0.2%

Dow Jones Industrial Average: +26.0%

NASDAQ: +29.0%

Adam Shell, writing for USA TODAY, contributed to this report