Do you create stock characters / custom NPCs/"townies"?

My game seems to generate fewer townies now; when I opened it just now there were only 5. One of those is my butler. I think one is my gardener and one is a repairman I called. And I think one is my matriarch Sim's daughter's maid. That only leaves one that seems to be completely random. Maybe it just hasn't geared up quite yet and made more, but I'm hopeful it's because there are so many usable Sims in my "other households" now. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on that and see what happens...