Far more than that. We average just over 4 per year in Colorado alone. https://cdphe.colorado.gov/colorado-plague-data

72 total human cases from 2005-2021 in Colorado, 11 of those fatal. That's 4.23 cases per year. There have also been 431 animal cases in Colorado over the same period.

WHO reports ~600-750 cases of plague per year globally with 3% being pneumonic, 10% being septicemic, and the other 87% being bubonic.

It's why there are warnings to not pick up ground squirrels and prairie dogs in Colorado, especially dead ones.

Luckily, it's almost entirely bubonic plague, which is the most treatable form of plague.

The one the Russians accidentally released is pneumonic plague, which is the most severe form. Incubation period can be as short as just a few hours, and the early signs are the same as pretty much a minor cold but it rapidly intensifies and can lead to death within as little as a day from initial contraction. If not caught and treated within a few hours, it's nearly 100% fatal.

This one is a much, MUCH bigger deal. Pneumonic plague is terrifying.

There's a lot more than 1-3 cases each year -- there's hundreds. I don't know where you got 1-3 from because even pneumonic plague specifically is far more common than that.