It is def an area where folks can reasonably disagree we really have no solid #'s to go on. The 30 rangers merely provides a staring point for extrapolation.
I lean towards the smaller population, because everytine the rangers and co. are mentioned in The appendix or in LotR there small population and 'dwindling' community is underlined. So I do not see thousands [ a town] but hundreds [a village].
Just my impression of the texts. There simply is too little info to go on.
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The dwindling Men of the West would often sit up late into the night exchanging lore & wisdom such as they still possessed that they should not fall back into the mean estate of those who never knew or indeed rebelled against the Light.
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