By Blake Bos
February 16, 2014
As of the most recent report by the Department of Transportation, there were 8,410,255 motorcycles registered in the United States by private citizens and commercial organizations in 2011. To put this staggering number into perceptive, out of every 36 people you meet in the U.S., one of them probably has a motorcycle. For ranking purposes, we won’t be looking at total bikes in a state, but rather people per motorcycle (the lower the number, the more common bikes are). So what states in America have the most die-hard moto-enthusiasts?
3. Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain — Iowa
Iowa is now home to the production of the famous Indian motorcycle. Image: WikiCommons
Iowa comes in third with 18 people for every motorcycle, beating the national average by 55%. In 2011 the state had 172,929 motorcycles registered, representing 2.1% of all motorcycles in America. Iowa is also home to production of Polaris‘ (NYSE: PII ) Victory and Indian brands, and has the famous Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally. This Midwest state’s wide-open spaces make for a perfect landscape for Polaris’ and Harley-Davidson‘s (NYSE: HOG )famous cruisers.
2. Live free or die — New Hampshire
The 90-year-old Laconia Motorcycle Week. Image: WikiCommons
New Hampshire comes in second with 17 people for every motorcycle beating the national average by 50%. In 2011 the state had 79,266 motorcycles registered, representing 0.94% of all motorcycles in America. New Hampshire also happens to be one of 31 states without a mandatory helmet law.
The state is also home to Laconia Motorcycle Week, which dates back to the early 1900s and is one of the countries oldest rallies. Some sources quote attendance as high 300,000-400,000 bikers for this rally, and it is frequently ranked as one of the best rallies in the country.
The combination of no helmets, great natural terrain, and the famous Laconia Motorcycle Week make New Hampshire a top spot for motorcycle enthusiasts.
1. Under God the people rule — South Dakota
416,272 riders made there way to Sturgis in 2011. Image: WikiCommons
South Dakota comes in first with 12 people for every motorcycle beating the national average by 66%. In 2011 the state had 69,284 motorcycles registered, representing 0.82% of all motorcycles in America. South Dakota is famous for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which attracted 467,338 riders in 2013.
With 77% of surveyed riders riding a Harley-Davidson, this event is crucial for Harley to not only show off its newest products, but also to monitor its core customer. Investors in Polaris and Harley Davidson would do well to monitor how their brand’s present themselves at Sturgis to see if they’re gaining market share or losing it.
Since South Dakota hosts the country’s largest motorcycle rally and has a small population, it’s no surprise this rather thinly populated state takes the No. 1 spot.
Wrapping up the 50 top states
In 2011 the Department of Transportation began more accurately collecting data for states, so for the first time motorcycle enthusiasts can truly see in which states they have the greatest chance of passing by a fellow rider. For the motorcycle companies this data gives them valuable information on where they can most easily reach the greatest amount of riders and customers.
For a complete list of the most popular states for bikes, please scroll down.
| Rank | State | # Bikes | Population | People per bike |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 69,284 | 816,598 | 12 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 79,266 | 1,316,807 | 17 |
| 3 | Iowa | 173,929 | 3,050,202 | 18 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 317,276 | 5,691,659 | 18 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 30,351 | 564,554 | 19 |
| 6 | North Dakota | 32,654 | 674,629 | 21 |
| 7 | Vermont | 30,070 | 625,909 | 21 |
| 8 | Montana | 46,996 | 990,958 | 21 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 240,288 | 5,310,658 | 22 |
| 10 | Alaska | 30,983 | 714,146 | 23 |
| 11 | Idaho | 62,576 | 1,571,102 | 25 |
| 12 | Maine | 50,318 | 1,327,379 | 26 |
| 13 | New Jersey | 330,470 | 8,799,593 | 27 |
| 14 | Colorado | 173,120 | 5,047,692 | 29 |
| 15 | Delaware | 30,494 | 899,792 | 30 |
| 16 | Ohio | 390,494 | 11,537,968 | 30 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | 127,140 | 3,760,184 | 30 |
| 18 | Washington | 220,856 | 6,742,950 | 31 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 404,164 | 12,717,722 | 31 |
| 20 | Indiana | 204,402 | 6,490,622 | 32 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 64,863 | 2,065,913 | 32 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | 32,989 | 1,052,528 | 32 |
| 23 | Michigan | 308,338 | 9,877,143 | 32 |
| 24 | Florida | 574,176 | 18,838,613 | 33 |
| 25 | West Virginia | 56,210 | 1,854,368 | 33 |
| 26 | Kansas | 81,354 | 2,859,143 | 35 |
| 27 | Oregon | 108,313 | 3,838,332 | 35 |
| 28 | Nebraska | 51,371 | 1,830,141 | 36 |
| 29 | Arizona | 178,890 | 6,413,158 | 36 |
| 30 | Connecticut | 97,960 | 3,575,498 | 36 |
| 31 | Illinois | 350,193 | 12,841,980 | 37 |
| 32 | Alabama | 127,255 | 4,785,401 | 38 |
| 33 | Tennessee | 168,408 | 6,357,436 | 38 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 76,293 | 2,921,588 | 38 |
| 35 | Nevada | 68,951 | 2,704,283 | 39 |
| 36 | Virginia | 195,722 | 8,023,953 | 41 |
| 37 | Massachusetts | 159,000 | 6,555,466 | 41 |
| 38 | Missouri | 140,936 | 5,995,715 | 43 |
| 39 | North Carolina | 223,209 | 9,560,234 | 43 |
| 40 | South Carolina | 107,864 | 4,637,106 | 43 |
| 41 | Kentucky | 98,475 | 4,347,223 | 44 |
| 42 | Hawaii | 30,098 | 1,363,359 | 45 |
| 43 | California | 801,803 | 37,338,198 | 47 |
| 44 | Utah | 59,355 | 2,775,479 | 47 |
| 45 | Maryland | 120,069 | 5,785,681 | 48 |
| 46 | Georgia | 199,586 | 9,712,157 | 49 |
| 47 | New York | 345,816 | 19,395,206 | 56 |
| 48 | Texas | 438,551 | 25,253,466 | 58 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 67,486 | 4,545,343 | 67 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 28,067 | 2,970,072 | 106 |
| 51 | Dist. of Col. | 3,523 | 604,912 | 172 |
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Advgrrl Motorcycle Adventures & More 
I read this article when it came out and I have to say that I’m not a fan of the way they calculated the numbers. The rankings are done by # of registered bikes as compared to population of a state to arrive at a number of bikes per person value. Then the states are ranked on the highest bikes per person in a state value. However, what you then end up with is a list of sparsely populated states with a low number of registered bikes landing in the top 10 spots. I find this to incongruous with the title. This is a ranking of bikes per population, not highest bike ownership. That distinction goes to California with the most number of registered bikes per state. Sorry, I just can’t stand it when stats are misrepresented.
you have done your homework for sure. I hear you and not all stats are exact we all know that…thanks for pointing out the short comings of this “analysis”
Actually, I disagree and the way the stats are being done is of higher value. It may not match the title but bikes per person is a more interesting number…
Sure – California has more total bikes than the top ten combined, and the high unit numbers are what interest the moto corporate. However, I find it very interesting that in general, the Northern states tend to have a higher bike ownership ratio than the Southern states.
Gary – That’s because in this study they are comparing population size with bike registrations. The northern states tend to be lower in population so when you combine that with the bike registrations it looks like there are more bikes in those states then there are. A more realistic comparison would have been to take the total population of a state compared to individual bike ownership. Many riders or rider households have more than one bike. This would be a more accurate representation of bike ownership in a state as it would compare apples to apples.