2026 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Vehicle Count – Through Day Ten

For Immediate Release:
Monday, Aug. 17, 2026

Contact:
Jesse Nelson, Rapid City Region Traffic Engineer, 605-394-2244

STURGIS, S.D. - The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) provided daily traffic counts at nine locations for vehicles entering Sturgis for the 86^th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, from Aug. 7-16, 2026. The traffic counts to date for the nine locations entering Sturgis for the 2026 Rally were as follows:

Friday, Aug. 7, 2026: 54,515 vehicles entered
Up 2.9% from the previous five-year average

Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026: 58,519 vehicles entered
Up 2.5% from the previous five-year average

Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026: 55,448 vehicles entered
Down 7.5% from the previous five-year average

Monday, Aug. 10, 2026: 55,226 vehicles entered
Down 8.4% from the previous five-year average

Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026: 51,742 vehicles entered
Down 11.8% from the previous five-year average

Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026: 42,964 vehicles entered
Down 23.6% from the previous five-year average

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026: 41,702 vehicles entered
Down 18.1% from the previous five-year average

Friday Aug. 14, 2026: 39,716 vehicles entered
Down 14.3% from the previous five-year average

Saturday Aug. 15, 2026: 28,679 vehicles entered
Down 17.4% from the previous five-year average

Sunday Aug. 16, 2026: 19,655 vehicles entered
Down 5.7% from the from the previous five-year average

2026 Total to Date (10-days): 448,166 vehicles entered (Down 10.0%)
Previous Five-Year Average (2021-2025) 10-day total to date: 498,042 Vehicles

Once compiled, a full report (including traffic counts across the greater Black Hills area) will be available on the SDDOT website at https://dot.sd.gov/transportation/highways/traffic-data/ during the week of Aug. 24, 2026.

To find additional information related to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally such as reduced speed limit areas, temporary traffic signal locations, frequently asked questions, and more, please visit: https://dot.sd.gov/travelers/travelers/sturgis-rally-travel-information-faq.

About SDDOT:
The mission of the South Dakota Department of Transportation is to provide a safe and efficient public transportation system.

For the latest on road and weather conditions, road closures, construction work zones, commercial vehicle restrictions, and traffic incidents, please visit https://sd511.org or dial 511.

Read more about the innovative work of the SDDOT at https://dot.sd.gov.

-30-