I was picking up trash the other day outside my apartment after noticing a raccoon rummaging through my trash can. i had accidentally rubbed my eye after having an itch. should i be concerned about risk to rabies? or am i being paranoid?

No. Maybe.: Rabies in the US is carried by some raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bats. These animals can transmit rabies to cats, dogs and livestock. Any mammal can become infected with rabies. The virus is in the saliva of the infected animal. That said, raccoons are in everybody's neighborhood. Is anybody going to worry about what raccoons leave in their trash? No, but be careful and no dumpster-diving.