Abstract: Developing the metro as the backbone of urban public transport system, can guide the spatial restructuring of urban population and improve the urban structural pattern. Based on the population statistical data of Fukuoka city during 1980 to 2007, the paper uses quantitative methods to analyze the relationship between the development of metro system and the changing pattern of urban population distribution. First, the analysis of shift routes of urban population gravity indicates that different development order of metro projects has a significant impact on urban population distribution. Specifically, the population gravity considerably shifted during the five years that Kuko line and Hakozaki line were under construction, and it experienced another round of dramatic shift in the following five years after the two lines opened. Second, the shift-share analysis of population illustrates the dispersion trend of urban population resembles centrifugation process of urban development. Since the first metro line opened in 1981, the urban population rapidly diffused from traditional central district (Hakata district and Chuo district) to suburban areas including western district and eastern district. Third, the Gini coefficient and Concentration index of areas along three metro lines show that the coverage areas of different metro lines considerably influence the population even degree in the areas. In conclusion, the changing pattern of population distribution in Fukuoka is fundamentally influenced by the critical time, coverage areas, and the development order of metro system.