Bikers bring bucks
Bikers roaring into Milwaukee this weekend for Harley-Davidson’s Homecoming festival are bringing more than their Fat Boys and Road Kings. They’re bringing money — a lot of it.
Motorcyclists and ATV riders collectively generate $1.1 billion in economic activity annually for Wisconsin, the most recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show, making Wisconsin one the leading states for such recreation.
Wisconsin is the second-highest ranked state in economic activity attributable to motorcycles and ATVs. California, with six times Wisconsin’s population and three times its area, occupies the top spot for 2023 at $1.5 billion.
Texas, Georgia, and Pennsylvania rank after Wisconsin.
Ohio, the second highest Midwestern state, generated only $512 million in economic activity from ATV riders and motorcyclists. Indiana and Minnesota also made the top ten, with $462 million and $457 million in economic impact, respectively.
Each year, the BEA releases estimates on the economic activity generated by outdoor recreation on both the state and national level. The estimates account not only for direct spending on activities and equipment, but also for what recreation-seekers spent on food, lodging and travel.
The economic impact, or “value added,” of motorcycle and ATV riders in Wisconsin varies from year to year in the BEA’s figures. In recent years, it peaked in 2016 at $1.2 billion before tumbling to $687 million in 2018. The amount has steadily recovered since then, exceeding $1 billion in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the most recent year for which data are available.
According to the federal data, motorcycling and ATVing was the form of outdoor recreation that had the greatest value added to Wisconsin’s economy in 2023, followed by boating and fishing, RVing, and hunting and shooting.
Wisconsin is well known for its motorcycle enthusiasts. Fans of Harley-Davidson will congregate at Veterans Park in the company’s hometown, Milwaukee, this weekend for Harley-Davidson’s Homecoming festival.
Wisconsin is also a national destination for ATV enthusiasts, with over 60,000 miles of routes, according to the Wisconsin ATV Association. The Badger Institute reported last week that the number of registered ATVs and utility-terrain vehicles — sometimes called “side-by-sides” — in the state surged in recent years to over 500,000, reflecting the growing popularity of the sport.
