Well, first we have to know if the numbers include exclusively "made" members or if they also reflect associates. Vincent Teresa wasn't made, right? But he apparently played a huge role in oneof the families. Would membership figures include him?
Those figures represented made (i.e. formally inducted) members. Not associates.
There can certainly be very high up associates with a lot of clout. But to call them a "member" is misleading, because that implies they are made, at least according to the traditional understanding of the term.
Sometimes authors and journalists can be a little free with what words they use. Some guy will be referred to as a the "loyal soldier" of this capo or that capo. But they are using the term "soldier" in a more generic sense, and not meaning an actual "Soldier," as in a made guy. Even some indictments can be confusing. For instance, in the recent "Family Secrets" case in Chicago, some defendants in the indictment were listed as "members" of this crew or that crew. But for some of them, that simply meant they were part of that crew, and not actually formally inducted members of the Outfit itself.
