Sturgis Rally Attendees Getting Younger, But Still Skew Older Than Regional Population
In Brief: Demographic data shows the average Sturgis Rally attendee has shifted from their early 50s to just under
(Broadcast readers are at the very end of the piece.)
By Todd Epp, Northern Plains News
In its 85th year, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally continues to roil the Black Hills with revving engines and crowds exceeding half a million.
Yet, beneath the roar lurks a demographic reality: attendees are getting younger—but still skew significantly older than the South Dakota population as a whole.
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally organizers face a demographic crossroads: while efforts to attract younger attendees are starting to show results, the event’s core audience remains middle-aged and older. The slow generational shift could shape the rally’s long-term survival, branding, and economic footprint.
📉 By the Numbers
Age Demographics Show Gradual Shift
"In 2015 surveys indicated the average age of attendees was 53.1 years old," according to City of Sturgis post-rally reports analyzed by local media outlets KOTA and DRG News. "That dropped to 50.8 by 2022. The median age was reported at 48 that same year," confirmed Deb Holland, director of Communications for the City of Sturgis, during the 2023 Post-Rally Summit.
"For 2023, city officials estimated most attendees were between ages 50 and 70, with 37 percent between 45 and 64," according to demographic data presented by Holland at the 2023 rally summit, as reported by KELOLAND Media.
Regional Context
For comparison, South Dakota's median age was 36.9 years according to 2010 U.S. Census data, while Meade County's median age was 36.5 years as of 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data.
🔄 Generational Drift, But Not a Collapse
While the average age has dipped gradually over the past eight years, the rally is still far from becoming a youth-driven event, according to city officials and tourism data.
"With the campaigns that we've run the last two years now, 97% of advanced bookings that we see are from people 49 years old and younger," said Jim Hagen, South Dakota Secretary of Tourism, in a December 2024 interview with South Dakota News Watch. "So, really starting to trend to a younger audience, which is great because we want to build that next generation of bikers and the excitement."
📊 Who's Coming and How
Motorcycle Ownership Declining Among Attendees
Not everyone who attends rides a bike: "The share of attendees not owning a motorcycle climbed from 1 percent in 2015 to 12 percent by 2022," according to official city demographic surveys cited by Harley-Davidson Insurance and confirmed in city rally reports.
"Those towing motorcycles to the event increased to 38 percent in 2022, up from 26 percent in 2015," according to the same city survey data, as reported by multiple sources including the official Sturgis Motorcycle Rally website.
⚙️ Promotion Strategies & Youth Outreach
Deliberate Targeting of Younger Demographics
Rally organizers are actively pursuing younger attendees through multiple strategies. "Rally organizers are leveraging new events—the Sturgis TT street race, louder marketing to younger, non-rider demographics, and expanded music lineups—to broaden reach," according to city planning documents and media reports.
"One thing that stood out for me this year is the median age of our attendees. You can see that it is getting younger, and I think that that really speaks to the efforts that the city has made in appealing and marketing the rally to a younger crowd," said Beka Zerbst, Sturgis City Council member and chair of the city's Rally & Events Committee, in an October 2022 interview with KOTA-TV.
Tourism Department Strategy
The South Dakota Department of Tourism recently launched its "OG HD" campaign highlighting the live music and party atmosphere of the rally. "Whether you're a biker or a non-biker, whether you ride a Harley or an Indian Motorcycle, whether you're male, female, red, yellow, black, white – it doesn't matter," Hagen told South Dakota Focus. "We're really trying to diversify this audience and showcase other aspects of the rally that are fun."
🧭 What This Means
Still a Middle-Aged Event
Compared to its median-age past and regional population, the rally remains distinctly middle-aged, according to demographic analysis.
However, the modest decline from 53 to 50 suggests a slow generational shift, not collapse, according to tourism officials and demographic experts.
"I know we talk about, 'Is the Rally dying?' We'll look at that, 65 and older has actually dropped," Holland said during the 2023 rally summit, as reported by KELOLAND. "That's encouraging to see some of the younger demographics showing those increases."
Economic Impact Remains Strong
The rally continues to generate significant economic impact.
"A 2022 study from Texas A&M University determined it resulted in $784 million in economic impact in South Dakota," according to the official study cited by South Dakota News Watch and tourism officials.
📚 Contextual Comparison
Key Metric
Value
Source
Avg attendee age (2015)
53.1 years
City of Sturgis post-rally reports
Avg attendee age (2022)
50.8 years
City survey data (Holland, 2023)
Median attendee age (2022)
48 years
City survey data
% Attendees not owning a bike (2022)
12%
City demographic surveys
% transported with towed bike (2022)
38%
City demographic surveys
Population median age (SD)
36.9 years
U.S. Census Bureau (2010)
Population median age (Meade County)
36.5 years
U.S. Census ACS (2022)
📝 Attribution & Citations
Data Sources:
Attendee age and demographic trends: City of Sturgis post-rally reports and Deb Holland, director of Communications for the City of Sturgis (2023 Post-Rally Summit presentations)
Advanced booking demographics: Jim Hagen, South Dakota Secretary of Tourism (South Dakota News Watch interview, December 2024)
Policy statements: Beka Zerbst, Sturgis City Council member and Rally & Events Committee chair (KOTA-TV interviews, 2022)
Attendance statistics: South Dakota Department of Transportation vehicle counts and cell phone data analysis (SDPB)
Economic impact: Texas A&M University 2022 study
Regional demographics: U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Survey data
News coverage: KOTA-TV, KELOLAND Media, DRG News, SD NewsWatch, South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Media Sources:
KOTA-TV: "Sturgis Rally saw younger crowd" (October 26, 2022)
KELOLAND Media: "2023 Sturgis Rally Summit numbers are in" (August 2, 2024)
South Dakota News Watch: "Sturgis Rally tourism targets next generation of bikers" (December 9, 2024)
DRG News: "Data shows Sturgis Motorcycle Rally attendees getting younger" (October 31, 2022)
Harley-Davidson Insurance: "Little Known Facts and Stats About Sturgis Motorcycle Rally"
:30 SECOND READER
ANCHOR LEAD-IN: New data shows the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is slowly attracting younger crowds, though attendees still skew much older than the state's population.
READER: The average age of Sturgis Rally attendees has dropped from 53 years old in 2015 to just under 51 in 2022, according to city demographic surveys. That's still significantly older than South Dakota's median age of 37.
But state tourism officials say their marketing efforts are working. Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen reports that 97 percent of advance bookings for the 2024 rally came from people 49 and younger – a sign that younger demographics are responding to targeted campaigns.
The data also shows a growing number of non-riders attending the event. Twelve percent of 2022 attendees didn't own motorcycles, up from just one percent in 2015.
City officials say they're deliberately targeting younger audiences through new events like street racing and expanded music lineups to ensure the rally's long-term future.
ANCHOR TAG: The 85th annual Sturgis Rally is scheduled for August 1st through 10th next year.
:10 SECOND READER
ANCHOR LEAD-IN: The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is getting younger attendees, but they're still much older than typical South Dakotans.
READER: The average Rally-goer's age has dropped from 53 to about 51 over the past seven years, according to city data. That's still well above South Dakota's median age of 37. But tourism officials say 97 percent of advance bookings for 2024 came from people under 50 – suggesting their youth marketing campaigns are working.
ANCHOR TAG: The 85th Rally runs August 1st through 10th.