There are 3+/- human rabies fatalities a year per the CDC:
Human Rabies
In this century, the number of human deaths in the United States attributed to rabies has declined from 100 or more each year to an average of 2 or 3 each year. Two programs have been responsible for this decline. First, animal control and vaccination programs begun in the 1940's and oral rabies vaccination programs in the 2000�s have eliminated domestic dogs as reservoirs of rabies in the United States. Second, effective human rabies vaccines and immunolglobins have been developed . All human cases in the United States since 1990 are summarized in the Table of Human Rabies Cases from 1995- 2006. The case histories of the ten most recent deaths can be found using the links below.
I don't think there has been a case of rabies in people since 1930's. Even in dogs it's quite rare here, and we don't have to vaccinate our dogs every year, but every 3 years.