Maybe if varies by state, but I grew up in a rural area of California, but every intersection I can remember has had at least one road required to stop (either a two-way stop sign, four-way stop sign, or traffic lights).
I get that stop signs are nearly illegal in the UK and some other parts of Europe, but that is the problem. In the US a driver on the minor road has to stop, look both ways, then proceed. It is to much safer than the driver on the minor road getting in the habit of not stopping and just plowing through a road that has the right of way.