Board Factbook

Board statistics for the largest U.S. companies

Let’s Start a Conversation

For press inquiries, please contact press@equilar.com

Board Factbook

Data last updated Q1 2022

Board Member Gender Breakdown (Russell 3000)

*As of Q3 2022

Ethnically-Diverse Board Members (Russell 3000)

Average Number of Women on Boards (Russell 3000)

Key Data Points

  • The average Russell 3000 board has 2.1 women
  • The average number of women on a Russell 3000 board increased by 23.5% since 2018

Women in Board Leadership Positions (Equilar 500)

  • 7.4% of Equilar 500 non-executive chair positions are occupied by women, a 27.6% increase since 2016
  • Women hold 12.3% of Equilar 500 lead independent director roles, a 7.9% increase since 2016
  • The prevalence of female Equilar 500 CEO-chairs has declined by 23.5% to 3.9%

Board Committees Chaired by Women (Equilar 500)

Key Data Points

  • Women chair 25.6% of Equilar 500 audit committees, an increase of 40.7% since 2016
  • 26.3% of Equilar 500 compensation committees are chaired by women, an increase of nearly 83.9% since 2016
  • 31.6% of Equilar 500 governance committees are chaired by women, an increase of 25.9% since 2016

Board Composition Disclosures on Gender and Ethnicity/Race (Equilar 100)

  • 78% of Equilar 100 companies included board composition disclosures related to gender in 2020, while 65% did so in relation to ethnicity or race
  • 81% of Equilar 100 companies included board or director assessment disclosures related to gender in 2020, while 80% did so in relation to ethnicity or race

Board Size Distribution (Equilar 500)

Key Data Points

  • The most common Equilar 500 board size is 11 members at 22.8%, followed by 10 and 12 members at 19.8% and 17.6%, respectively
  • Just 3.8% of Equilar 500 boards have fewer than eight members

Director Tenure Median and Average (Equilar 500)

  • The median tenure of an Equilar 500 directors is six years, while the average is 8.1 years
  • Both the average and median tenures for Equilar 500 directors has decreased in each of the last two years

Median Director Tenure by Gender (Equilar 500)

Key Data Points

  • Median tenure for a male Equilar 500 director is 6.8 years, while it is over two years less for female directors at 4.2 years