Downtown Burien, 1940s
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1940 Census: Population of Seattle stagnates at 368,000 and that of King County tops 500,000 in 1940.
In 1940, the U.S. Census Bureau determines that King County’s population is 504,980, an increase of 41,463 over 1930 (9 percent), and Seattle’s population is 368,302, an increase of only 2,719 (1 percent) in 10 years. For the first time, during the decade of the Great Depression, more people have moved to areas of King County outside of Seattle than to Seattle. This trend has continued through 1999.
In 1940, the largest of the 39 counties in Washington state were:
- King 504,980
- Pierce 182,081
- Spokane 164,652
- Yakima 99,019
- Snohomish 88,754
- Whatcom 60,355
- Grays Harbor 53,166
- Clark 49,852
- Kitsap 44,387
- Lewis 41,393
In 1940, the largest incorporated towns in Washington were:
- Seattle 368,302
- Tacoma 109,408
- Spokane 122.001
- Everett 30,224
- Bellingham 29,314
- Yakima 27,221
- Aberdeen 18,846
- Vancouver 18,788
- Walla Walla 18,109
- Bremerton 15,134
In 1940, the largest incorporated towns in King County were:
- Seattle 368,302
- Renton 4,488
- Auburn 4,211
- Kent 2,586
- Enumclaw 2,627
- Kirkland 2,084
- Bothell 794
- Issaquah 812
- Snoqualmie 775
- Skykomish 479
In 1940, incorporated and unincorporated town populations in King County (listed alphabetically) were:
(Note: Unincorporated town boundaries were not officially defined so the U.S. Census Bureau attempted to establish boundaries they thought would define the towns.)
- Algona (uninc.) 929
- Auburn 4,211
- Bellevue (uninc.) 975
- Bothell 794
- Bryn Mawr (uninc.) 1,346
- Burien (uninc.) 1,537
- Carnation (see Tolt)
- Des Moines (uninc.) 965
- Duvall 234
- Duwamish (uninc.) 807
- Earlington (uninc.) 722
- Enumclaw 2,627
- Foster 530
- Issaquah 812
- Juanita 917
- Kennydale 534
- Kent 2,586
- Kirkland 2,084
- North Bend 646
- Pacific 357
- Redmond 530
- Renton 4,488
- Richmond Beach 693
- Richmond Highlands 566
- Riverton (uninc.) 1,024
- Seattle 368,302
- Skykomish 479
- Snoqualmie 775
- Snoqualmie Falls 899
- Tolt (Carnation) 460
- Tukwila 521
- Vashon 672
Sources:
U.S. Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940. Population, Vol. I: Number of Inhabitants (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1942), 1126-1127; U.S. Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940. Population, Vol. II: Characteristics of the Population, Part 7: Utah-Wyoming (Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1943), 328-330, 362-367, 390-407; US Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940. Population: Unincorporated Communities United States, by States (Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1943), 29-30. By Greg Lange, January 01, 1900
Downtown Seattle, 3rd Avenue and Pike Street, ca. 1940
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Downtown Ballard, 1940s
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Downtown Kent, 1940s
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