The article analyzes the socio-demographic characteristics of the heads of executive authorities of the Russian Federation. The focus is made on the socio- demographic indicators of the governors and presidents of republics after the election campaigns of 1991– 1995. Drawing biographical sources, the author provides a quantitative analysis of the demographics of heads of executive authorities of the Russian Federation. The article deals with the dynamics of the governors’ composition in Russia, the features of its renovation. The author touched upon such issues as gender and age structure, place of birth, social origin, the level and quality of education, the availability of academic degrees, party affiliation, as well as the scope of activities of heads of executive author ities in the regions of Russia during the lifetime and at the time of taking off ice. It is shown that this st rat u m is dominated by the representatives of technical specialties, but their professional implementation is various. The chief executives of the Russian Federation is the man of a mature age. As a result, during the formation of the Russian Federation a certain social and professional image of the governor was formed, the definition was given to the main channel and the mechanism of recruitment of the regional elite, identification was made of the level and nature of its mobility.