Rally traffic way down in Hills in 2026

The 2026 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally produced 448,166 vehicle entries, according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation, 16.6 percent fewer than last year’s 85th anniversary Rally and below the 462,182 counted during the pandemic Rally in 2020.

According to SDDOT data, the 2026 total sits below every other annual total listed. The decline does not prove a long-term trend. It does show that serious crashes fell much faster than traffic, which matters more to the final Rally Factor Quotient than the smaller crowd alone.

Mayor Rod Bradley urged caution interpreting the data in the city’s Aug. 17 release, noting that 2025 was an anniversary year and that traffic counts are only one measure of Rally activity.

The Highway Patrol’s closing tally covers 6 a.m. Aug. 8 through 6 a.m. Aug. 16. It recorded 39 injury crashes, down from 66 in the comparable 2025 period, and three fatalities, down from four. Citations rose to 1,709 from 1,524. Felony drug arrests rose to 108 from 104, non-injury crashes to 31 from 27, and troopers reported $6,116 seized compared with zero last year.

Sturgis Police Department’s “final” tally covers 6 a.m. Aug. 5 through 6 a.m. Aug. 14, starting before the Rally and ending before its final weekend. It lists 482 arrests and citations, down from 538, and 37 DUI arrests, down from 58. Misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia cases rose to 75 from 55. Armstrong, the department’s records administrator, compiled the tally.

The Meade County Sheriff’s Office uses another window, 6 a.m. Aug. 7 through 6 a.m. Aug. 16. Calls for service fell to 1,200 from 1,487 and traffic stops to 384 from 591. The office also reported 11 felonies compared with two last year and eight felony drug charges compared with one.

Monument Health’s last posted tally ended at 6:59 a.m. Aug. 16. It showed 728 cumulative Rally-related emergency and urgent-care visits and 32 Rally-related inpatients that morning. Monument’s page carries a 2025 URL but is displaying its 2026 tally.