2020 Sturgis Bike Rally Makes South Dakota a Ton in Taxes

The 2020 Sturgis Bike Rally didn't come and go without a lot of national controversy for happening during a pandemic.

Many debated the merits of holding an event where some would consider it to be a hot spot for COVID-19 to spread while others expressed personal choice as the reasons for the rally to be held.

One thing can't be debated however and that is the amount of money that the state of South Dakota raked in during the rally in tax dollars.

According to the Associated Press, the state of South Dakota brought in $1.3 million dollars in tax revenue during the annual Sturgis Bike Rally.

That amount of over $1.3 million was an increase of 6% from 2019 and shows the commitment of the rally-goers to spend money while in South Dakota.

Even though the tax dollars are great for the state of South Dakota, it has come at a cost for the health of others as in that same report, they cite over 250 COVID-19 cases linked to the rally in 12 states.

Those numbers have been increasing ever since the rally began to wrap up in mid-August.

In addition to the results nationally, 650 Sturgis residents did participate in the free mass testing event after the rally was over and returned very low positive tests, with only 26 testing positive.

This year's rally was unlike any other in Sturgis which is saying something considering the history of the nationally known event and hopefully the landscape in this country is much different next Summer so rally goers can have a blast in 2021.

For more information on the 2020 Sturgis Bike Rally, you can visit their official website.