Queens Borough President Donovan Richards released the 2025 Community Board Demographic Report this week, revealing a record number of new appointees. The new community board members reflect the borough’s racial, gender, and age diversity, alongside shifting transit habits and rising civic interest.
Queens Sees Most Diverse, Youthful Class of Community Board Appointees Yet
The report, released on Tuesday, July 13, provides a detailed breakdown of all 14 Queens Community Boards and the 361 residents newly appointed this year. Of those 361 residents, 119 are first-time members, marking the biggest wave of newcomers under Richards’ administration.
Since Richards took office in 2021, more than 4,500 applications have been submitted, the majority from individuals with no prior community board experience. This year alone, 916 applications were submitted.
A Broader, More Representative Board
The 119 new members bring a strong showing from communities of color. Hispanic and Latinx residents made up 29.4% of new appointees, East Asian/Pacific Islanders and South Asians collectively accounted for 23.5%, and 22.7% identified as African American.
Richards’ appointees are also younger than ever. Over half, 55.5%, are under 40, and nearly 20% are under 30. The youngest new member is just 17 years old. This marks a stark contrast to pre-2021 boards, where less than a quarter of members were under 45.
More Women, Parents, Immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ Voices
Women now make up the majority of new appointees. Of the 119 new members, more than 51% identify as female. Across all five application cycles during Richards’ tenure, 52% of appointees have been women, up nearly 10% from previous years.
Other notable stats: 24.4% of new members are parents or guardians of school-aged children, 19.3% are immigrants, and 10.1% identify as LGBTQIA+, which is a significant increase from just 3.2% in 2020.
A Borough on the Move
The report also captured how Queens residents are getting around. Among this year’s appointees, 94.1% said they use the subway at least sometimes, 92.4% use the bus, and 42% reported using bicycles or micro-mobility vehicles.
The borough president’s office attributes growing community engagement in part to Richards’ 2021 implementation of a unified code of conduct for all community boards. This move appears to have encouraged broader and more diverse participation.
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