Dragon Boat Racing in the United States is governed in the national level by the United States Dragon Boat Federation (USDBF).

On the Regional level, there are three dragon boat governing bodies. The Pacific Dragon Boat Association (PDBA) represents the West Coast. The American Dragon Boat Association (ADBA) represents the Mid-West and the Eastern Regional Dragon Boat Association (ERDBA) represents the Eastern Coast.

The ERDBA was incorporated in June 2003. Since then, the association's membership has grown substantially.

Meanwhile, the growth of dragon boat racing in the IS mid-west when the Mississippi River Adventures acquired two dragon boats in late 1985 and brought the first dragon boat team to the Midwest in 1986.

Teams from six states and two foreign countries participated in races as part of the Mississippi River Adventures annual canoe float (MADRAC). This successful event led to the first American Dragon Boat Association (ADBA) International Dragon Boat Race on the Navy Pier in Chicago on June 19, 1988. Teams from Canada, New Zealand, and Australia competed with eleven US teams from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and West Virginia.

The ADBA formed a Midwest regional circuit in 1989 with events in South Haven, Michigan; Red Wing, Minnesota; St. Charles, IL; and Dubuque, IA. Burlington, IA and Cedar Rapids, IA soon joined the sport of Dragon Boat Racing.

The next several years brought exponential growth in the Midwest with sixteen festivals being serviced by 1994. The pace quickened as Cedar Rapids, IA (the Cedar River Dragon Boat Association - CRDBA) acquired boats in the mid 1990s. In 2001 Fort Dodge, Iowa purchased a pair of dragon boats. The efforts of these groups peaked with Fort Dodge, Iowa hosting the 2004 US Nationals.

Meanwhile, the PDBA was incorporated in August 1999. Since then, the association has attracted members from Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and Nevada.

Established events include the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York (city, Queens), and the Rose Festival Dragon Boat Race in Portland, Oregon. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hosted the IDBF World Championships in 2001 and since then has established an annual festival, with over 150 teams participating in 2008 and 154 teams in 2009. The Philadelphia festival is held on the Schuylkill River, and attracts teams from all over the east coast. The Canadian company, Great White North, come every year to act as the Steers Person on the boat. Portland's festival hosts North America's largest Taiwanese-style boat races, involving flag grabbers. The California Dragon Boat Association (CDBA) hosts an international dragon boat race in San Francisco's scenic Treasure Island, attracting over 100 teams (adult, youth, and novice).

Orlando (Florida) International Dragon Boat Festival at the Walt Disney World Resort is slated for October in 2008. The event marks the first time for dragon boat racing to be presented in the context of a major world class amusement park/tourism industry property. The Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races are held the first Saturday in May boasts 50-70 teams annually. Tampa will host the 2011 World Dragon Boat Racing Championships on Seddon Channel in downtown Tampa.