SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The vehicle count for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally reached 250,000 on Tuesday, Aug, 8, the fifth day of the rally, the South Dakota Department of Transportation said.
The SD DOT counts traffic at nine entry points during the Aug. 4- Aug. 13 annual rally.
The tally count is behind the five-year average and the 2022 count and the five-year average.
After a sluggish start attributed to weather, the tally did bounce back on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Still, the pace may not be enough for the final attendance and vehicle count to reach the five-year average. So far, to date, the rally vehicle count is 250,699, compared to the five-year average of 290, 671.
The vehicle count is used by the city of Sturgis to estimate rally attendance. The city also uses garbage volume, analysis of photos and other factors to estimate the attendance.
Before the 2022 rally, the five-year vehicle total count was 492,535.
