At the beginning of Phelan's leadership in 1886, there were just thirty-eight councils with about 2,700 members. After his time in office ended in 1897, there were 210 councils and nearly 17,000 members located in ten states.
In 1886 during Phelan's leadership, there were thirty-eight councils with approximately 2,700 members. After his time in office ended in 1897, the number of councils increased to two hundred and ten, with nearly seventeen thousand members distributed across ten states.