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Board Factbook

Board statistics for the largest U.S. companies

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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