The article examines the tools of sociological research, used in the study of the state and prospects of the socio-economic and environmental development of the Karelian Arctic region, its human capital, as a factor in the sustainable development of the region. Special attention is paid to the reasons for choosing migration from the region of residence as a form of investment in the human capital, as well as the role of a wide range of factors in deciding on migration, such as environmental, economic and social ones. The tasks of a comprehensive study of the processes of regional socio-economic and ecological development are considered, the methodological approaches used at each stage of this study are determined, the importance of sociological tools in the system of goals and objectives of this study is identified. The process of forming a special economic and legal regime of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation as a whole and the Karelian Arctic region requires taking into account not only the entire spectrum of the latest problems of these territories, but also updating the knowledge about the features of their socio-economic and ecological economic development. These circumstances require the improvement of research tools used in the study of these processes.