ECONOMIC SPECIALIZATION IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES  OF THE NORTHWESTERN FEDERAL DISTRICT: A MICRODATA-BASED ASSESSMENT

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Nikolai V. Voroshilov1, Ekaterina D. Kopytova2

1, 2Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vologda, Russia

1niks789@yandex.ru, ORCID 0000-0002-5565-1906

2ekaterina-razgylina@yandex.ru, ORCID 0000-0001-6406-3148

 

Abstract. The relevance of studying the economic specialization of territories is driven by their dependence on the economic activity of enterprises, ongoing changes in the structure of regional economies, and the need to identify promising economic activities that can serve as drivers of local economic growth. Contemporary urban dynamics in Russia are characterized by a pronounced imbalance: the rapid growth of major urban agglomerations is accompanied by the gradual decline of small and medium-sized cities. Under these conditions, developing new strategies to help smaller cities adapt to changing economic realities is particularly important. This challenge is especially acute in the northern regions of the country. Against this background, the study aims to identify the economic specialization of small and medium-sized cities by determining the key types of economic activity that characterize their economies, using the Northwestern Federal District as a case study. The study employs a combination of general research methods, including analysis and synthesis, and applied methods, including data sampling, data parsing, and grouping. The scientific novelty lies in the development of an original methodological approach to identifying the specialization of urban economies, which makes it possible to classify cities according to their economic specialization and identify key development trends across different groups of cities. The empirical basis of the study comprises Rosstat statistical data, including information from the Database of Municipalities, as well as data from the annual financial statements of companies operating in small and medium-sized cities across the regions of the Northwestern Federal District for 2021–2023, obtained from the Kontur.Focus information system. Future research will focus on developing approaches to territorial development projects that take into account the industrial and economic linkages between urban and rural areas.

Keywords: small and medium-sized cities, specialization, micro level, types of economic activity

Acknowledgments: This study was conducted at the Vologda Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences  (VolRC RAS) as part of state-funded research project No. FMGZ-2025-0013, “Factors and Instruments for Ensuring Balanced Spatial Development of Russian Regions in the Context of Intensifying Major Challenges.”

For citation: Voroshilov N. V., Kopytova E. D. Economic specialization in small and medium-sized cities of the Northwestern Federal District: A microdata-based assessment. Sever i rynok: formirovanie ekonomicheskogo poryadka [The North and the Market: Forming the Economic Order], 2026, no. 3, pp. 209–222. doi:10.37614/2220-802X.3.2026.93.014.

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