I got my truck in '08 with 232,000 miles. I now just registered 280,000. Still have 12,000 miles to go before the filter needs servicing.
Seriously though, I have one new filter on in that time frame. The service manual says 60,000 intervals for the fuel filter so if I am not having any problems, I leave it alone. Aside from going to the rally, I usually only buy fuel from one station and have never gotten a bad batch.
My fuel filter light came on on my way to Jared's house a few weeks ago and it struck me as very odd. I actually didn't know I had this light and was surprised that the circuit still operated properly.
I was underneath working on the truck prior to that so I figured I had to stir something up......always trace your steps backwards when a problem arises and ask why is this happening? I had a hunch and didn't think my filter was the culprit so after we bought Home Depot out of half their electrical dept for his new service, I stopped at the parts store for a few feet of fuel line and new hose clamps. I had been under the truck molesting things around as I had just put a couple of new freeze plugs in the block and remember moving the fuel supply line around and it becoming dislodged from the clips that run across the frame member from left to right. Sure enough, the rubber line to the lift pump was hard and had a bad kink in it and the lift pump and IP were starving for fuel under hard acceleration. 6" of new fuel line, problem solved. I think this is the same line that gave Ron problems at the 2011 rally.
Moral of the story........the fuel filtration system is usually pretty reliable, unless you are running cocktails or buy from a questionable station, the filter is good for more miles than we give them credit for most times.
Another note, keep the tanks full to the brim when storing the truck for extended periods to avoid condensation buildup.