Chance, NJ isn't small from a population standpoint, especially when talking about Italian Americans.
Look at the NJ map. New Ark,Hoboken,Jersey City are very near to NY and before Sam Decavalcante the family dont had a seat in the commission. So even the NJ had the max italian people the only home grow family are so small and watched like second category by the other families.
You haven't factored in the socioeconomic influence of NYC, though. The entire state of New Jersey has only slightly more people than just the 5 boroughs of NYC. Plus a huge part of North Jersey commutes to NYC to work. The four largest cities in New Jersey all lie within the NYC metro area. Plus NYC's economy dwarfs New Jersey's. Basically: all roads lead to NYC.
"I die outside; I die in jail. It don't matter to me," -John Franzese
