STURGIS, S.D. — Traffic entering Sturgis during the 86th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally totaled 448,166 vehicles over the 10-day event, according to daily counts released by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT).
The total was 10 percent below the previous five-year average of 498,042 vehicles recorded for the same period from 2021-2025.
Traffic started strong during the opening weekend, with 54,515 vehicles entering Sturgis on Aug. 7 and 58,519 on Aug. 8, both above the five-year average. However, vehicle counts fell below average for the remainder of the rally, including a 23.6 percent decline on Aug. 12 and an 18.1 percent decrease on Aug. 13.
The busiest day of the rally was Saturday, Aug. 8, when 58,519 vehicles entered the city. Traffic steadily declined as the event progressed, dropping to 28,679 vehicles on Aug. 15 and 19,655 vehicles on Aug. 16, the final day of the rally.
SDDOT collects traffic counts at nine locations leading into Sturgis to track attendance trends during the annual motorcycle gathering. A comprehensive traffic report, including counts throughout the greater Black Hills region, is expected to be posted on the SDDOT website during the week of Aug. 24, 2026.
For more information, visit dot.sd.gov/transportation/highways/traffic-data.
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