Abstract: Natural gas hydrate, a kind of efficient and clean new energy, which is widely distributed and has large reserves and great economic value and important strategic significance. Thus, it has attracted more and more attention in the world. Among them, the United States is the country with the most systematic investigation and research of natural gas hydrates, and is one of the first countries to establish a national hydrate research and development plan. Through inter-institutional cooperation between government agencies, research institutions and private institutions, the United States has made a series of remarkable progress in resource exploration, basic theoretical research, resource assessment, exploitation, and environmental assessment. This paper systematically summarizes the history, research and development plan and progress of national gas hydrate research in the United States, analyzes the progress of gas hydrate exploration and development in the three most typical areas of the United States Gulf of Mexico, hydrate ridge and North Slope of Alaska in detail, and considers the reasons behind the success of the United States in this field. These studies are expected to provide useful reference for the industrialization of natural gas hydrate in China.