Sedalia is a city located approximately 30 miles south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 21,725. Sedalia is also the location of the Missouri State Fair and the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Festival. U.S. Routes 50 and 65 intersect in the city.