STURGIS - Traffic entering Sturgis for the 10-day run of the 84^th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was up nearly 3% from a year ago according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation.

The DOT reported that the total number of vehicles entering Sturgis from Friday, Aug. 2, to Sunday, Aug. 11, was 470,987 as compared to 458,161 for 2023 - up 2.8 percent.

The state determines the count by placing traffic counters at nine locations entering Sturgis.

Following are the daily numbers for 2024 as compared to 2023:

• Friday, Aug. 2: 51,179 entering – up 12.1% from 2023 (45,652)
• Saturday, Aug. 3: 55,127 entering – up 44.6% from 2023 (38,126)
• Sunday, Aug. 4: 52,182 entering – down 14% from 2023 (60,586)
• Monday, Aug. 5: 55,971 entering – up 11% from 2023 (50,487)
• Tuesday, Aug. 6: 54,451 entering – down 3% from 2023 (55,848)
• Wednesday, Aug. 7: 52,878 entering – down 6% from 2023 (56,444)
• Thursday, Aug. 8: 50,053 entering – down 4% from 2023 (52,195)
• Friday, Aug. 9: 44,671 entering – down 2% from 2023 (45,661)
• Saturday, Aug. 10: 34,583 entering – up 4% from 2023 (33,278)
• Sunday, Aug. 11:   19.892 entering - up 1% from 2023 (19,884)

Total for the 10 days in 2024 470,987 as compared to 458,161 for 2023 - Up 2.7 percent

The DOT also compared this year’s traffic numbers at the nine locations entering Sturgis with their five-year average numbers.

Here’s what they found:

• Friday August 2nd: 51,179 entering – down 1.5% from the Friday 5-year average of 51,953 (2019-2023)
• Saturday August 3rd: 55,127 entering – down 2.3% from the Saturday 5-year average of 56,440 (2019-2023)
• Sunday August 4th: 52,182 entering – down 12.7% from the Sunday 5-year average of 59,746 (2019-2023)
• Monday August 5^th:  55,971 entering – down 5.1% from the Monday 5-year average of 58,959 (2019-2023)
• Tuesday August 6^th:  54,451 entering – down 5.2% from the Tuesday 5-year average of 57,431 (2019-2023)
• Wednesday August 7^th:  52,878 entering – down 3.6% from the Wednesday 5-year average of 54,830 (2019-2023)
• Thursday August 8^th:  50,053 entering – up 1.1% from the Thursday 5-year average of 49,518 (2019-2023)
• Friday August 9^th:  44,671 entering – down 0.5% from the Friday 5-year average of 44,879 (2019-2023)
• Saturday August 10^th:  345,83 entering – up 1.7% from the Saturday 5-year average of 33,999 (2019-2023)
• Sunday August 11^th:  19,892 entering – down 5.1% from the Sunday 5-year average of 20,965 (2019-2023)

10 Day Total: 470,987 entering – down 3.6% from the 10 Day Total 5-year average (2019-2023) of 488,720.

The city also uses other statistics to give them a comparison of the Rally from year to year. 

Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater said calls for service and other categories listed in his Rally report ran about even with last year. Calls for service this year totaled 1,708 as compared to 1,607 in 2023.

Planning & Permitting Director Dave Smith said vendor licenses this year totaled 720 as compared to 709 in 2023.

As of Saturday, our latest tally, the city had hauled 317.46 tons of garbage as compared to 349.21 tons hauled in 2023. As a qualifier to those numbers, it rained for three days of the Rally in 2023, and wet garbage is heavier than dry garbage.