Summer Surge for Sturgis as Motorcycles Vroom En Masse

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Drives Crowds to Sturgis, SD

One of the hallmarks of Americana is the image of a biker riding fast and free down enormous expanses of American highways. For tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts, nothing compares to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota. In 2025, the event took place between August 1st and August 10th – and the week and a half of food, folks, and festivities drove a massive spike in out-of-market visitors to Sturgis. 

Saturday, August 2, was the most popular day of visits, with visits up 14.7% compared to the prior year and up a whopping +549.9% compared to an average Saturday in Sturgis.

Local Businesses at the Center of the Action

One popular place to visit within Sturgis is Lynn’s Dakotamart on Lazelle St, where one can find groceries ranging from NY strip steaks to fresh Midwest watermelon. During the Sturgis motorcycle rally, the store's trade area more than doubled from 15 miles to 33 miles.

Affluent Visitors and Brand Opportunities

Large events like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally can also hold much promise for brands, as they seek to capture attention from motorcycle devotees. Placer.ai data shows that some of the top-visited places during the 10 days in August include Wells Fargo, McDonald’s, Burger King, Dairy King, Ace Hardware, and restaurant/live venues such as Loud American. The rally also brings an influx of affluent suburban visitors, with nearly 1 in 5 out-of-town visitors with a household income greater than $150K, and 13.4% belonging to the "Wealthy Suburban Families" Spatial.ai segment.

Wealthy Visitor Base Gives the Rally a Strong Market Impact

In sum, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a unique opportunity for local businesses and local and national brands to capitalize on the excitement and celebratory frame of mind of the out-of-town visitors. Many of the guests come with the mindset to enjoy themselves, mingle with others, stay in local lodgings, and even visit shopping centers and eateries that would normally seem a bit further afield but that in the context of riding are just part of the journey itself.

For more data-driven consumer insights, visit placer.ai/anchor. 

Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.