When was the last time someone died from bubonic plague in the United States?

Answer 1

There was a fatal case of Plague in New Mexico in July 2006. I don't know precisely when the last person in the US died with bubonic plague. However, plague continues to be endemic in the southwest areas of the US and people who are exposed to rats and mice during an epizootic are at risk to getting plague.
A Winkepedia discussion of Plague quoted a paper saying: "There have been 242 cases of human plague in New Mexico since 1949 with 30 deaths." But, it does not say when the most recent deaths occurred. The most recent case of bubonic plague in the US occurred around 18 April 2006 in a woman in California.

USA (California): Woman is treated for the plague
A Los Angeles woman is being treated for bubonic plague, the first case of the age-old pestilence in the county since 1984, officials announced 18 Apr 2006. The infected patient came down with symptoms last week and continues to be treated in a hospital for the disease, which is characterized by swollen lymph nodes. She may have contracted the disease from fleas in the area around her neighborhood. Traps have been set out for squirrels and other wild animals in the area to determine the extent of exposure. Neighbors are being warned to avoid contact with dead animals and fleas from rodents and pets. Although human cases of the plague are uncommon, it is endemic to ground squirrels and some rodents in parts of the Angeles National Forest, Tehachapi, Lake Isabella and Frazier Park. On average, about 5 to 15 people get the plague annually around the country. Most of the cases are in the southwestern part of the USA in the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

Bubonic plague is primarily transmitted through flea bites or direct contact with infected open wounds or sores. Bubonic plague is the classical form of Yersinia pestis infection, representing 85-90 percent of clinical presentations. Individuals present with fever, chills, headache and the painful bubo. The process arises as a result of a bite from an infected flea or by contamination of an open skin lesion. Local bacterial proliferation is sometimes evident (4-10 percent of cases) in the form of an abscess or ulcer at the site of infection. Symptoms of fever and malaise develop 2-6 days after exposure. The bubo generally occurs in the groin lymph nodes (90 percent), more commonly in the femoral than inguinal nodes. (Promed 4/19/06)

Answer 2

....just to add one more site, from the CDC

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/plague/faq.asp