Photo: Dave Herholz · CC BY-SA 2.0Sedalia spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Sedalia’s city government spent $32.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $1,489 per resident. It also runs a hospital ($136.4 million) and water utilities ($4.2 million), counted separately. Census Bureau figures.
What stands out about how Sedalia is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,489 per resident a year, or $4.08 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 19%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,578 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Sedalia’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,578 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 26 Missouri cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $885, and the middle half spent $696–$1,100. Sedalia spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Missouri cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sedalia itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 4% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Sedalia reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,578 · 2023: $1,504 · 2024: $1,489.
full-time in March 2025 (hospital, health & welfare left out), up from 219 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,098 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.77% of the home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sedalia’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Sedalia’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sedalia →
Who’s in charge in Sedalia
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sedalia’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofsedalia.com ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 83 residents, not counting hospital, health & welfare staff
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (21,947).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Sedalia 200 School District
Sedalia’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,113 per pupil, $6,824 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Missouri districts overall: 54% local, 35% state, 11% federal.
Pettis County R-XII School District · $26,530 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Sedalia’s votes are counted by county
Missouri reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sedalia alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Pettis County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican73.7%13,907 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.9%4,703 votesOthers: 1.4% (272 votes).
Most votes in Pettis County: Donald J Trump
Missouri: Trump 58.5%, Harris 40.1%
100% of Sedalia lies in Pettis County. Every 2024 race in Pettis County is on the county’s page.
Pettis County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Sedalia.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofsedalia.com ↗
- 2Missouri HouseState representatives
- 3Missouri SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Missouri
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Sedalia’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sedalia’s government
How much does Sedalia spend per resident?
About $1,489 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. Sedalia also runs a hospital ($136.4 million), counted separately. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,578 was more than 96% of 26 Missouri cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sedalia?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,098 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.77% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.85% across Missouri. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofsedalia.com.
Who runs Sedalia’s government?
See cityofsedalia.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sedalia yet.
How did Sedalia vote in 2024?
Missouri counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Sedalia alone. Pettis County, where 100% of Sedalia lies, voted Trump 73.7%, Harris 24.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Sedalia?
266 full-time and 119 part-time employees in March 2025 (plus 5 full-time hospital, health & welfare staff), with a March payroll of $1.3M (about $15.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sedalia in the state legislature?
State Senate District 28 (Sandy Crawford) and State House District 52 (Brad Pollitt). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sedalia’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →