Hobbies Board Games Monopoly

10 Most Visited Monopoly Properties

By
Erik Arneson
Erik Arneson

Erik Arneson is a highly respected board game expert, sharing his 20 years of knowledge on gaming strategies. He's the author of the book, "17 Games You Can Play Right Now," has been a featured speaker at the American International Toy Fair, and is the former Vice President of the Strategy Gaming Society.

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Updated on 09/09/24
Illustration of monopoly board

The Spruce / Marina Li

Learning which properties players land on most will help you improve your Monopoly skills. The properties that get the most traffic are important for you to own and dangerous if an opponent owns them.

If you've ever played Monopoly, you know that snatching up all the properties of the same color gains you a monopoly (letting you buy houses and hotels for those properties). While it's nice to collect rent on a square that players land on frequently, if an opponent lands on your Illinois Avenue property repeatedly—at $20 each time—you might not make enough money or enjoy a position to win the game. Accumulating houses and hotels on your high-traffic properties, however, is a surefire way to make more money and speed up the game's progression.

The orange properties on the Monopoly board rank No. 1 in traffic and the red properties rank No. 2. This list below highlights 10 of the most-visited properties (including only those that charge rent—spaces like Go, Jail, and Free Parking aren't listed). Twenty-eight property squares qualify for this list (in case you're wondering, Boardwalk ranks 16th).

  • 01 of 10

    Illinois Avenue

    Monopoly Illinois Avenue

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin 

    Illinois Avenue is the most frequently landed-on space on the board. If your opponent owns it, and it has a hotel, you could be looking at doling out $1,100 for rent. That can be a game-changer—and quick game-ender.

  • 02 of 10

    B&O Railroad

    Monopoly B&O Railroad

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    There are four railroads. B&O Railroad has the highest traffic of them all. Players collect $25 rent if they own one railroad; $50 for two; $100 for three; and $200 for all four. You can't buy houses or hotels for these properties.

  • 03 of 10

    New York Avenue

    Monopoly New York Avenue

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Rolling a nine when coming out of jail lands a player on New York Avenue. Also, drawing a "Go Back Three Spaces" card from Chance will land a player here. As a result, New York Avenue sees heavy traffic. It costs $200 to buy this property; if you have to mortgage it, it's an even $100. I'll set you back $100 to build one house on New York Avenue. But, at all of these prices, it's really a steal.

  • 04 of 10

    Reading Railroad

    Monopoly Reading Railroad

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Reading Railroad is the next railroad landed on the most. Having three or four railroads early in the game is a great strategy for any player. Railroads cost nothing to build up and provide a constant income stream that helps fund everything you do in the game.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below
  • 05 of 10

    Tennessee Avenue

    Monopoly Tennessee Avenue

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Tennessee Avenue is one of the best spaces to own. Many people land here, but it costs $180 to buy. If you can get Tennessee Avenue and an orange monopoly, you have one of the best chances of winning the game.

  • 06 of 10

    Pennsylvania Railroad

    Pennsylvania is another railroad that gets a lot of traffic. At the beginning of the game, having one or two railroads is a good deal. But, as the game wears on, if you only have one or two railroads, the cash flow isn't worth the initial purchase price.

  • 07 of 10

    St. James Place

    Monopoly St. James Place

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    St. James Place is another one of the orange properties landed on with high frequency. If there was ever a mantra to have with Monopoly, quite simply, "Always buy orange." With a hotel, rent is $950, which can be crippling, and it's relatively inexpensive to build on.

  • 08 of 10

    Water Works

    Monopoly Water Works

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Water Works is cheap to buy and pays for itself quickly. This is especially true if you can pair it with the Electric Company. Early in the game, this can be a great card to have. As time wears on, it loses its value since you can't build houses or hotels on it. 

    Continue to 9 of 10 below
  • 09 of 10

    Kentucky Avenue

    Monopoly Kentucky Avenue

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    You can win Monopoly with a set of "built-up" reds with houses and hotels. Kentucky Avenue is part of that set. If you have a hotel on Kentucky Avenue, you can get $1050 in rent.

  • 10 of 10

    Indiana Avenue

    Monopoly Indiana Avenue

    The Spruce / Margot Cavin

    Indiana Avenue completes the red set. It's the least-landed-on property of the reds, but, in terms of probabilities, it still ranks among the top properties landed on in the game. Get it if you can—Kentucky Avenue and Illinois Avenue, too. The name of the game is Monopoly after all.