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Autos

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally by the numbers

By Charles Fleming

The 74th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is underway in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

As many as half a million motorcycle enthusiasts are arriving for six days of riding, racing, rallies, exhibitions, concerts, bike shows and a vivid public display of leather and tattoos.

If past Sturgis meets are anything to go by, the rally will generate huge revenue for the town of Sturgis (population 6,627), with estimates for annual proceeds to the area exceeding $800 million.

There will also be plenty of action, good and bad.

Here are some statistics from last year’s Sturgis, compiled by event organizers.

Attendance: 467,338 (down from a high of over 633,000 in 2000)

Vendor licenses issued: 964

Taxable sales inside city: $12 million

Marriage licenses issued: 71 (down from a high of 197 in 2000)

Parking tickets issued by Sturgis police: 140

Tons of garbage hauled: 594

Drug arrests: 48

Number of people jailed: 864

Local emergency room visits: 317

Rally-related highway deaths: 6

Twitter: @misterfleming

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Charles Fleming

Charles Fleming writes about automobiles and motorcycles for the Los Angeles Times’ Business section. He also writes the urban hiking column LA Walks. A former staff writer for Newsweek, Variety and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, he is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller “High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess,” the New York Times bestseller “My Lobotomy,” and “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and its sequel, “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles.”

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