Sedalia, MO

Micro Area Profile

43,397 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Sedalia, MO micropolitan area.

61out of 100
Area Score
Top 36% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 9 sources
Opportunity495th of 835 metro and micro areas measured46
SchoolsTop 13% of 695 metro and micro areas measured79
Growth474th of 834 metro and micro areas measured46
Housing affordabilityTop 22% of 835 metro and micro areas measured79
ClimateTop 48% of 835 metro and micro areas measured68
Physical resilienceTop 28% of 835 metro and micro areas measured70
Access775th of 835 metro and micro areas measured42
Economic stability522nd of 835 metro and micro areas measured39
The quick read

Unemployment is 4.6% and median household income $60,430, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 45% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 13% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 93 units authorized over the past twelve months, 24% below the prior year.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
43,397
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$60,430
Bottom 28% nationally
Density
64/sq mi
682.2 sq mi of land
Median age
38.2
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Micropolitan area
Missouri
Nearest major airport
MCI
86 mi · Kansas City Intl
Median home value
$166,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 4.6% — higher than in all but 34% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment grew 1.4% over the past year, to 19,298 employed residents.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$3,4042024 ACS 5-Year$60,430Bottom 28%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,3852024 ACS 5-Year$30,640Bottom 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year15.2%Bottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year20.3 minTop 15%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year18.4%Bottom 16%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year76.0%40th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202619,298Bottom 23%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.6%Top 27%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+1.4%Top 13%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202620,23023rd percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year75.5%Bottom 44%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.3%45th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.6%Top 24%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20264.6%Bottom 34%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year7.0%32nd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/075.22.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 4.6% in July 2026. It has been rising for the last 3 months, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

45% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 52% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.8 students for every full-time teacher across 18 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
20
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.8
across 18 of them
Math proficiency
44.7%
Top 13% in Missouri
Reading proficiency
51.6%
Top 33% in Missouri
The 12 largest of 20 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Smith-Cotton High SchoolSEDALIA 2001,55117.038%61%
Smith Cotton Junior High SchlSEDALIA 2001,13313.841%41%
Skyline Elem.SEDALIA 20048313.853%57%
Heber Hunt Elem.SEDALIA 20044812.452%52%
Parkview Elem.SEDALIA 20044712.472%72%
Sedalia Middle SchoolSEDALIA 20039614.755%50%
Smithton Elem.SMITHTON R-VI28811.542%42%
Horace Mann Elem.SEDALIA 20027611.552%47%
Early Childhood Ctr.SEDALIA 20026010.8——
Smithton HighSMITHTON R-VI21710.337%47%
Washington Elem.SEDALIA 2002159.352%47%
Green Ridge HighGREEN RIDGE R-VIII18112.132%62%

61.2% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Missouri’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,289 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.78% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $978, some 11% above the $885 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $978 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $39,100 a year, about 65% of the median household income here of $60,430.

The typical renter household here spends 27% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $885 a month.

A median home at $166,300 costs 2.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $70,634, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Rent as a share of income
27.1%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
2.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$978
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$885
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$166,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Sedalia’s median household income of $60,430, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year2.4Top 33%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year69.1%45th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±322024 ACS 5-Year18,67323rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$745Top 16%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,268Top 23%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$978Top 27%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$352024 ACS 5-Year$885Top 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$6,2602024 ACS 5-Year$166,30027th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$532024 ACS 5-Year$1,28925th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$2,5722024 ACS 5-Year$70,634Bottom 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year0.78%47th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year27.1%Top 25%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1032024 ACS 5-Year14510th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.8%20th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year8.2%56th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2932024 ACS 5-Year1,67713th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

46/ 100
Ranks 474 of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was broadly flat, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 43,791 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 43,791 residents in 2024, up 0.5% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

At 2.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
93
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.1
Bottom 42% nationally
Year over year
−24%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
33.3%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202444k43k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 87°F and January a low of 21°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 36.2 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station SEDALIA MEM AP, 5.7 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.7"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals36.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals21°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals87°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals47°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

70 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, tornado and cold wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 41% of it. Tornado is independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large that hazard is.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 72% of measured US metro and micro areas.

Cold waveElevated
DroughtModerate
Winter weatherModerate
HailModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Inland floodingModerate

Low or minimal exposure: heat wave, tornado, strong wind, ice storm, landslide, wildfire, lightning, hurricane, coastal flooding, tsunami, avalanche, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest Kansas City Intl at 86 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year88.9%Top 45%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle86 miBottom 8%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle1Bottom 4%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year9.3%Bottom 41%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Kansas City IntlMCI86 mi10,801 ft
Springfield-Branson NtlSGF103 mi8,000 ft
Rosecrans MemlSTJ113 mi8,061 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
61
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

Cities in this metro