How Much Money Did the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Bring In?

We've known for a while now that more than 470,000 vehicles were counted at the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, but how much money did those visitors leave behind in the Black Hills this summer?

The South Dakota Department of Revenue estimates tax collections from the 84th rally were $1,399,501. Taxes collected included state sales tax, tourism tax, municipal sales tax, and municipal gross receipts tax.

Revenues from temporary vendors in the Black Hills were down 3% compared to 2023. State sales tax accounted for most of the collections with $790,805. At this time last year, the department had collected $818,784 in state sales tax. The department’s 2024 collections also included $271,322 in state tourism tax and $337,374 in municipal taxes.

The 2024 rally had 896 temporary vendors, 17 fewer than in 2023.

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The Northern Black Hills, which includes Sturgis and all other communities in Meade and Lawrence counties, accumulated $992,067 in tax from the 699 vendors present, an 8% decrease in tax collections from a year ago.

The Southern Black Hills, which includes Rapid City, Custer, Hill City, and Keystone, had 197 temporary vendors with $407,434 in total tax collected, increasing 12% from 2023.

The 10 Most Redneck Towns in South Dakota

Are you a 'Redneck?' I guess to some people, all of us in South Dakota are rednecks.

If we use the Jeff Foxworthy Scale of Redneckeness, I have, in fact, been too drunk to fish. So by definition, I am a redneck. And so are many people I know.

Not that being from the country is a bad thing, and it can be fun to poke fun at ourselves.

With that in mind, we found that the folks at RoadSnacks put together a list that claims 'These Are The 10 Most Redneck Cities In South Dakota.'

What is a Redneck?

The dictionary says that a redneck is someone "...who lives in a small town or in the country, especially in the southern U.S., who typically has a working-class job, and who is seen by others as being uneducated and having opinions and attitudes that are offensive."

Well, a few things. First, South Dakota isn't THAT kind of 'south.' We're to the south of North Dakota, but to the north of 'The South.'

Plus that definition sounds awful mean and serious. I thought we were having fun here.

RoadSnacks leaned into the funny, Jeff Foxworthy-based version of a redneck. Then they rounded up select data on places in SD to determine their rankings. RoadSnacks Redneck Criteria:

Small towns
Least amount of high school graduates
Number of bars per city
Number of mobile home parks per capita
Number of tobacco stores per city
Number of places to get fishing gear
Number of guns and ammo stores per city
Walmarts, Bass Pro Shops, and dollar stores nearby

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

4 South Dakota Stories Featured on 'Unsolved Mysteries'

I am a longtime fan of the television show Unsolved Mysteries. The classic version from the 80s/90s. I remember a few times the late Robert Stack introduced a mystery in South Dakota.

Looking through their archives, we found four South Dakota mysteries that were featured on Unsolved Mysteries. Do you remember these cases that still have a lot of unanswered questions?

Gallery Credit: Danny V

5 Things South Dakota Gave the World

South Dakota may not get much respect. We get a blizzard and it's a footnote on the national scene, but if Florida gets a bit chilly it's breaking news. But, maybe it's fine to be forgotten about. We kind of like being left alone on our quiet piece of the plains.

South Dakota has given a lot to the world though. Not just giant mountain carvings and settings for HBO shows, but awesome things that the rest of the world should thank us for.

Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns

Source: How Much Money Did the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Bring In?

Filed Under: Sturgis, South Dakota Department of Revenue

Categories: Articles, News, South Dakota