Sturgis Rally vehicle count hits 537,000

https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/sturgis-rally-vehicle-count-hits-537000/

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally vehicle count reached 537,459 entering vehicles for the 85th Anniversary rally, the South Dakota Department of Transportation said.

The SD DOT counts entering vehicles at nine locations that include the interstate and highways. The counts are used to help determine the attendance or visitors at the rally. The city of Sturgis also uses cell phone data, analysis of photos and garbage amounts to help determine attendance.

If the 75th anniversary count in 2015 is excluded, the 2025 count is the highest since 563,650 in 2014. The SD DOT counted 525,768 vehicles were counted in 2021. The SD DOT counted more than 740,000 vehicles for the 75th Anniversary.

The 10-day rally count of 537,459 is an 11% increase over the five-year average of 482,987 vehicles. Although the count is lower in the final three days, the Friday count was still more than 50,000 at 50,672 vehicles. The SD DOT counted 38,158 vehicles on Saturday and 22,754 vehicles on Sunday.