The article is devoted to the problem of living standard improvement in single-industry towns on the basis of regional specialization. In modern conditions, much attention is paid to the complex of factors and conditions for the formation of certain areas of economic activity. The North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) has significant potential for agricultural development, which can contribute to solving the problems of single-industry towns with industrial specialization. These statistics indicate several positive trends in the socio-economic situation in the region: an increase in the number of inhabitants of the rural population, a steady increase in the share of food products and agricultural raw materials in the total volume of Russian imported goods. The main importance of rural areas in the reproductive concept of the North Caucasus regions is determined by the functions of the social-territorial system of communities: industrial, demographic, socio-cultural, nature protection, recreational. Research methods: systematic, formal-logical, analysis and modeling of socioeconomic processes. The scientific novelty of the proposed approach is a comprehensive assessment of agriculture in the region as the main factor in improving the socio-economic situation of single-industry towns. As a result, the research has revealed the positive impact of the industry on the living standards in the single-industry towns of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD).