Abstract: The study considers the the dynamics of the urban population in the republics of the Volga Federal District (VFD) Russia: Bashkortostan, Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Chuvashia from 1990-2013. The main factors affecting to the changing in the urban population in these republics: decline in industrial production; internal and external migration; deterioration of the socio-economic conditions of the population, especially in small cities and towns associated with unemployment; aggravation of environmental problems in large cities and others. Of the 6 republics of the VFD the positive dynamics of the urban population is observed only in the Republic of Tatarstan to 197 thous. people from 1990-2012. And in the other republics of VFD there are negative indicators of the dynamics of the urban population.