The problems of polarization and alignment of the levels of social and economic development of countries and regions are studied very actively, but there is no common opinion on the relationship between these processes. Based on the analysis of statistical data (population density, the share of the urban population, including the population of cities with a population of more than 100 thousand and more than 1 million, GRP production per capita, per capita per capita income, per capita cash income of the population) that in the 1990s and the very beginning of the 2000s the socio-economic differentiation of the subjects of the Russian Federation increased, and later the differences in the per capita output of the gross regional product and the per capita income of the population began to decline. At the same time, the concentration of the population in cities, especially large ones, continues. It is proposed to intensify the state policy of alignment social conditions in the subjects of the Russian Federation and improving the industrial infrastructure, creating conditions for a more complete use of regional potential to attract investment and the development of specialized industries. Refs 17. Figs 5. Tables 4.