I have been following a list of good names that I bulk check periodically. Very few .US domains seem to be leaving the original owners hands via expiration if they are very good to excellent terms. Decent and just good names are a bit of a different story though. On the other hand, tons of .BIZ including even excellent terms seem to be expiring. Many look to be being renewed by their registrars at the last possible moment and not their original owners. Many are simply deleting with no pickup. If you have even a fairly common last name and want to own it in something that isn't truly awful, you should check .BIZ. Many significant surnames are currently available.
Patience is required for .US though. Don't invest in .US names expecting to turn them for a quick profit now unless you want a very small (if any) profit. My very best original land rush names do, in most cases, more than pay for themselves in PPC. A few make $50-100/year. Most make more like 10 to 50 cents yearly though so to being in for the long haul isn't cheap relative to renewal fees.