1980 Census: Population of Seattle drops below 500,000 and that of King County increases to 1,250,000 in 1980.

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In 1980 the U.S. Census counts 493,846 residents in Seattle, a drop of nearly 37,000 in 10 years and more than 63,000 in 20 years, a decrease of over 11 percent. During the decade of the 1970s, King County outside of Seattle increases in population by more than 145,000. In 1980, the population of the entire county reaches 1,269,749.

In 1980, the largest of the 39 counties in Washington state were:

King 1,269,749
Pierce 485,643
Spokane 341,835
Snohomish 337,720
Clark 192,227
Yakima 172,508
Kitsap 147,152
Thurston 124,264
Benton 109,444
Whatcom 106,701

In 1980, the largest cities in Washington state were:

Seattle 493,846
Spokane 171,300
Tacoma 158,501
Bellevue 73,903
Everett 54,413
Yakima 49,826
Bellingham 45,794
Vancouver 42,834
Bremerton 36,208
Kennewick 34,397

In 1980, largest towns in King County were:

Seattle 493,846
Bellevue 73,903
Renton 30,612
Auburn 26,417
Redmond 23,318
Kent 23,152
Mercer Island (city) 21,522
Kirkland 18,779
Juanita 17,232
Bothell 7,943

In 1980, incorporated and unincorporated town populations in King County (listed alphabetically) were:

Algona 1,467
Auburn 26,417
Beaux Arts 328
Bellevue 73,903
Black Diamond 1,170
Bothell 7,943
Boulevard Park (uninc.) 8,382
Bryn Mawr-Skyway (uninc.) 11,754
Burien (uninc.) 23,189
Carnation 913
Cascade-Fairwood (uninc.) 16,939
Clyde Hill 3,229
Cottage Lake (uninc.) 4,435
Des Moines 7,378
Dumas Bay-Twin Lakes (uninc.) 14,535
Duvall 729
Eastgate (uninc.) 8,341
East Renton Highlands (uninc.) 12,033
Enumclaw 5,427
Fall City (uninc.) 1,528
Hunts Point 480
Inglewood (uninc.) 12,467
Issaquah 5,536
Juanita 17,232
Kenmore (uninc.) 7,281
Kent 23,152
Kingsgate (uninc.) 12,652
Kirkland 18,779
Lake Forest North (uninc.) 7,995
Lake Forest Park 2,485
Lakeland North (uninc.) 11,451
Lakeland South (uninc.) 5,225
Medina 3,220
Mercer Island (city) 21,522
Milton (Pierce & King Cos.) 3,162 (218 in King Co.)
Newport Hills (uninc.) 12,245
Normandy Park 4,268
North Bend 1,701
North City-Ridgecrest (uninc.) 13,551
North Hill (uninc.) 10,170
Pacific 2,261
Poverty Bay (uninc.) 8,353
Redmond 23,318
Renton 30,612
Richmond Beach-Innis Arden (uninc.) 6,700
Richmond Highlands (uninc.) 24,463
Riverton (uninc.) 14,182
Rose Hill (uninc.) 7,616
Seattle 493,846
Sheridan Beach (uninc.) 6,873
Skykomish 209
Snoqualmie 1,370
Tukwila 3,578
Valley Ridge (uninc.) 17,961
West Federal Way (uninc.) 16,872
White Center-Shorewood (uninc.) 19,362
Yarrow Point 1,064
Zenith-Saltwater (uninc.) 8,982

Sources:
U.S. Bureau of Census, Department of Commerce, 1980 Census of Population: Volume 1 Characteristics of the Population, Chapter A Number of Inhabitants, Part 49 Washington (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1982), 49-15, 49-16, 49-17; U.S. Bureau of Census, Department of Commerce, 1980 Census of Population: Volume 1 Characteristics of the Population, Chapter B General Population Characteristics, Part 49 Washington (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1982), 49-7, 49-8, 49-9, 49-10, 49-11.

Seattle, 1979
Courtesy Port of Seattle