STURGIS, S.D. – The City of Sturgis says this year’s Rally was a success and exceeded expectations.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation reports that traffic entering Sturgis during the 85th Motorcycle Rally saw a significant increase compared to the five-year average (2020–2024).
Over the 10-day event, a total of 537,459 vehicles were counted at nine traffic monitoring locations around Sturgis — an 11.3% increase over the five-year average of 482,987 vehicles.
And the final numbers are even more impressive when compared to last year’s visitation. Figures show that the final total of traffic entering Sturgis in 2024 was 470,987. The 2025 traffic count was up 14.1% over that period.
In recent years, the City of Sturgis has also adopted mobile device tracking technology – Placer.ai to gain deeper insight into Rally attendance. This method estimates the number of unique visits based on aggregated cellphone location data.
This year through Friday, Aug. 8, the system reported more than 661,000 visits within the city limits of Sturgis, offering a broader picture of Rally participation that accounts for walk-ins, multiple riders, and public transportation such as DaBus. The 661,000 visits compares to 637,400 in 2024 and 617,000 in 2023.
The DOT daily traffic counts showed consistent gains over previous years, with the largest single-day increase occurring on Monday, Aug. 4, when 68,906 vehicles were recorded — 19% higher than the five-year average for that day. Notable increases were also seen on the opening weekend, with Friday up 8.2% and Saturday up 12.5% from the five-year average.
The steady rise in numbers continued throughout the week, with gains ranging from 9.7% to 13.6% on most days. Even the final Sunday, when traffic traditionally tapers off, saw an increase of 10.9% over the five-year trend.
“This year’s traffic counts reflect what we’ve seen and heard all week — strong attendance, steady flow of visitors, and a high level of enthusiasm for the 85th Rally,” said Sturgis Mayor Kevin Forrester. “The numbers confirm that Sturgis is the premier destination for motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world.”
SDDOT uses nine traffic counters placed at key entry points around the city to collect this data. These road tube counters track vehicle crossings, providing a consistent year-over-year snapshot of Rally traffic activity.
While these numbers do not represent individual visitors — since multiple people may ride in a single vehicle and many vehicles re-enter over several days — they offer a reliable indicator of overall travel activity into the Sturgis area during Rally week.
The city has and continues to use several metrics to measure rally attendance, in addition to the DOT traffic counts and the city’s cellphone location data they include:
- Amount of garbage hauled from Sturgis.
- Temporary vendor sales during the event.
- Traffic counts at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
- Counts of people in photos taken daily on Sturgis Main Street.
Another indicator – temporary vendor licenses – showed an increase from 794 last year to 823 this year – up about 3.65%. Initially, vendor licenses were up substantially when compared year-to-date, but those numbers became more on par with last year as the week progressed.
Also on par with last year was the amount of garbage hauled throughout Rally week in Sturgis. Final garbage numbers will be available in the coming weeks.