Sturgis shares 2023 rally numbers at Post-Sturgis Rally Summit

This article was written by Gracie Terrall of KELOLAND Media Group

Keloland.com shared attendance and demographic numbers and the sales tax revenue for the 83rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally following the Post-Sturgis Rally Summit.

“The rally has swelled up larger than Sturgis can hold and impacts everybody throughout the whole Black Hills,” said Sturgis Mayor Mark Castensen at the Summit in Sturgis. “It’s also apparent that the Sturgis Rally has an impact on the whole state.”

During the 10-day rally, there were 617,000 visits, which is second only to the 75th Rally in 2015, according to Beka Zerbst, president of the Sturgis City Council. The previous year saw 611,447 visits, 2021 had 700,295 visits and in 2020, 549,747 visited the Sturgis Rally.

This year, the city calculated the number of guests through their mobile devices. In previous years, Sturgis relied on Department of Transportation vehicle counters positioned on the interstate and highways for an attendance count. “The numbers reflected one vehicle crossing the counter as traffic into Sturgis,” Zerbst said. “One motorcycle could have two or more passengers or one car could have multiple passengers. Our new system collects data from an individual user’s cell phone.”

Deb Holland, director of Communications for the City of Sturgis, shared that 2023 rally attendees aged 25-44 rose to 29%, people 45-64 increased from 25% in 2022 to 29%, and attendees over 65 decreased to 18%. Holland noted that it was good to see an increase in younger demographics in attendance.

She also shared that the average income for Sturgis Rally goers was $84,000, and 25% of attendees’ income is between $100,000-$150,000. The states with the highest attendance were South Dakota (21%), Minnesota (7.5%), Colorado (7%), Wyoming (4.2%), and Iowa (4%).

Mike Gussiaas, chief marketing officer for the Department of Tourism, shared that the average time people spent in South Dakota for the rally was three days and one hour. This average was down from last year’s four days and 14 hours.

Zerbst said that this year’s attendees brought in $658,581 in sales tax revenue. According to a survey by the Sturgis Chamber of Commerce, 86% of the 300 chamber businesses in Sturgis said the Rally had an overall positive effect. Of that, 67% report an extremely positive outcome.

Veronica Grosek, the executive director of the Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce, said local businesses cited the biggest positives as an increase in revenue, business-to-consumer networking and advertising opportunities.

At the Summit, she quoted a local, year-round retailer and their thoughts on the business the Rally brings in. “Staff workload and availability is a challenge, they wish for better variety and quality of retail offerings throughout the event,” Grosek read. “But, our biggest benefit is the year-round tourism that the rally draws through Sturgis.”

At every Sturgis Rally Summit, the sponsorship and branding board highlights one of the sponsors. This year, Lance Sherer, the director for Sturgis Sponsorship, spoke about the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Ride With Us initiative.

Ride With Us is an initiative to get young or non-riders interested in the lifestyle and culture of riding. In 2022, 12% of Rally goers did not have a motorcycle, so this year they focused on giving those people opportunities to ride.

The program included 30-minute introductory sessions, free of charge and all motorcycle and protective gear was provided.

“Rain, as with all this, was definitely a factor for the first few days,” Sherer said. “The Ride with Us team’s energy, commitment, and passion more than made up for that with many authentic attendee interactions and first rides.”