All 50 States Ranked For Highest Motorcycle Ownership Per Capita

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

In a recent study done ranking each of the 50 states (and the District of Columbia) by motorcycle ownership per capita, South Dakota ranked the best. There are a total of 69,284 motorcycles registered in the state, according to the Department of Transportation, and with a total population of 816,598, when you do the math, there’s roughly 12 people in South Dakota for every motorcycle.

Considering South Dakota is the home of the Sturgis rally, its ranking on this list may not be much of a surprise. However, coming in second may be an unlikely state: New Hampshire. With just a tick over 79,000 motorcycles registered and a population of 1.3 million, the numbers work out to approximately 17 people per bike. But consider New Hampshire is home to Laconia Bike Week and features some great riding areas (when the weather cooperates!), and the second place standing may not be so far fetched.

Iowa rounds out the top three states for motorcycle ownership per capita with 18 people per motorcycle. Considering it’s the home of Polaris Industries, owners of both Victory and Indian motorcycles, its ranking on the list isn’t surprising.

Looking at the bottom of the field, the District of Columbia ranks 51st, and last, with 172 people per motorcycle. Of the states in the Union, Mississippi is 50th (106 people per motorcycle), followed by Louisiana and Texas, with 67 and 58 people per motorcycle, respectively. When it comes to states with the highest motorcycle ownership, it’s well known that California leads that category by far, with over 800,000 motorcycles registered in the state. However, with a population of over 37 million, it ranks 43rd on the list, with 47 people per motorcycle.

The complete ranking list can be seen below.

RankState# BikesPopulationPeople 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

[Source: Fool.com]

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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