The analysis of socio-cultural dynamics of rural local communities development in the conditions of structural transformations in production-economic and institutional activity shows that a new paradigm of rural development is being formed, based on the doctrine of multi-layered economy. Rural communities, representing a socio-territorial location, generate models of maintaining their identity, reflecting the social structure, conditions, lifestyle and standard of living. The socio-cultural behavior of the villagers determines the social and mental mechanisms of development, including the reproduction of the population as a subject of socio-cultural activities. The socio-cultural portrait of rural communities reflects the main problems of their development: differentiation of the level and quality of life of rural local communities, sharp stratification into the rich and very poor.