Inactive players (I haven`t got a clue how long a player has to be inactive to become one) are not included. Read here.
"Today's Rank" misleading
I don't see anything posts on that page from chess.com staff. Do you have any formal description of who is included in the today's rank total?
Also, your other point is very important - if they do filter out inactive players, how do they define someone as inactive? It could be someone who has not logged in in the last 3 years. If this is the case then my point still holds.
BigNose, I have found a definition provided by a staff member here. Those players are not in the list but they are included when it comes to your Today`s Rank.
Thanks Boletus_CZ, but your link mentions the player ranking list but does not mention Today's Rank at all. Where did you get the info that Today's Rank includes anyone with a chess.com account since it started?
Also, that response was from 5 years ago. A lot can change in 5 years, and their response about the ranking list might not apply any more.
For my blitz rating my "Today's Rank" is #12,243 of 1,088,105. This made me feel great until I realized that the 1,088,105 includes anyone who has ever made a chess.com account, even someone who played twice last year and never came back to the site. A better approach would be to base it on active chess.com players only. So only those people who have played at least one rated blitz game in the last 90 days, and for Online Chess only those people who have completed a rated online chess game in the last 90 days.This could be called "Today's Active Rank" to differentiate it from the current rank. What do you think?