One more thing I will say is that for many years I never realized just how large a family the Bonanno's had at their peak.
I always thought they hovered around 125-175 members. When in actuality their true strength lay closer to 275-325 back in the 1940s-1960s era. They were definitely one of the largest crews in the U.S.
If the Bonannos had around 300 wiseguys in their roster, then what of the other four? What was their peak strength in the 1950s?
Of course nobody has an exact count. Even wiseguy themselves are largely ignorant to the numbers unless the served in the hierarchies and were "told" the numbers each crew was allowed. But to the best knowledge I have, I believe the "firm" Commission allowance of each borgata hovered at; Mangano/Anastasia family 260-300; Luciano/Genovese family 250-300 (although some credible sources have also placed this crew at closer to 180-220 in total strength); Bonanno family 260-300; Profaci/Colombo family 150; Lucchese Family 120.
Those were the original ceilings set by the Commission back in 1931, when peace was declared after the infamous Castellammrese War of 1929-1931. Of course over the years this has all changed. ALL crews have been reduced in power and numerical strength.
