Is rabies more common in rural areas?

Probably yes: In the U.S., people can catch rabies from the bites of infected animals. The virus is in the saliva of the rabid animals. In the U.S., the animals that carry rabies are raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats. Rabies is more common in rural areas because these animals are found more often in rural areas. However, any mammal can become infected and transmit it to other mammals.

But possibly not: This is a MAP from 2001 of reported rabies cases in the usa. We must note that unreported cases may be huge and may not be balanced, but the MAP surprised me. Damage to the rural ecosystems are causing some of those critters to move into towns & cities for food, so....?

Not really: Rabies is so rare in the first world that there is little distinction between rural and urban areas. The major carrier is bats and these inhabit both areas to a significant degree.