It really is surprising how low level most NPCs are supposed to be, according to the rules - and how rarely they finish up like that in the published adventures. For example, all the managers listed in the downtime section, many of who earn over 100gp a month, are listed as L3 characters. It sort of works, with a bit of manipulation.

Level 1 Commoners - as a hangover from earlier rules systems, unskilled commoners make up more than half of the population! That started out before skills were added to the rules :) Now we need to interpret it as Commoners without any Craft or Professional skills. In my game world, that covers all children (L1 commoner with the Young character adjustments and limited skills etc) with everyone gaining full L1 commoner status at the age of 14. Some never progress.

Level 1 other classes - You need to serve a basic apprenticeship to progress into a different class. If your family are rich, they can pay tutors or send you to schools. If your family have a craft, profession or PC class - they can teach you themselves, or they have contacts with local organizations that offer apprenticeships. Most NPCs finish their apprenticeship at around about the age of 21. I know that sounds like a long time, but it is the labour that the apprentice puts in, alongside their training, that pays for the tuition and skills transfer.

Level 2 Commoners - Many commoners never progress beyond L1, they stay as labourers, barstaff, washerwomen, servants, labourers, etc for their whole life and never move beyond commoner 1. Some, however, have a bit more about them, and pick up a useful skill while they work at these unskilled jobs. For example, you might find L2 commoners with a single rank in a basic craft or profession (Woodwork, hunter, blacksmith, innkeeper, gardener, farmer etc). There are lots of ways commoners can learn those skills, but not every commoner has that opportunity, or takes advantage of it, if it is presented. These L2 commoners are often heads of households - and often men (in a medieval style world, having and rearing children takes a lot of a poor woman's time - it is different for rich women, and very different in the modern world)

Level 2 Other Classes - Not everyone progresses beyond Level-1. Most soldiers, town guards, teamsters etc are level 1 characters - and there are few L2 roles described in the Down Time rules that reach L2. These are Bureaucrats and Sailors, both described as L2 Experts. It is reasonable to assume that those roles that include L3 (or higher) characters, have a L2 'interim' stage :)

Level 3 Other classes - Elite or specialist soldiers and guards, priests, mages, sages and all the managers are defined as L3 characters in the Dowentime rules. Some of these guys come into the 100gp/month standard of living category. They are the leaders of Non-aristocratic society.

Higher Level NPCs - The only higher level characters described in the downtime system are L4 craftspeople - and that is (in my view) a bit of an anomaly. You won't find many of those in my game worlds - esecially as the manager you employ to oversee them, from the manager's page, is only a L3 character. :) However, you will come across higher level NPCs in my world, but they will be leaders, adventurers and true leaders. Most will have a PC class, a few will have Aristocrat as a class - some will be multi-classed.