Streamflow duration classification (i.e., perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral) can be used to inform reach-scale management decisions that adhere to water resource policies. Because existing maps and datasets have a limited depiction of the extent and flow duration of stream reaches, particularly for abundant headwater streams, there is a need for field-based tools, called Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods (SDAMs), that use indicators for classification of streamflow duration. While there have been SDAMs developed for some regions of the United States, no validated SDAM has been developed for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Preparations for developing regional SDAMs include identifying candidate indicators, study reaches with existing hydrologic data, and a hydrogeographic framework that can capture natural variation and anthropogenically induced alterations. This literature review lays the foundation for a U.S. Caribbean SDAM by characterizing trends in stream research, identifying flow class documentation, candidate indicators, and a hydrogeographic framework. We screened 2081 titles and abstracts and 750 full-text documents. Candidate indicators include drainage area, riparian herbaceous cover, two fish, and 19 aquatic invertebrate metrics. A total of 235 documents provided localities for 2282 stream reaches in the U.S. Caribbean, 94.7% in Puerto Rico and 5.3% in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Eighty-two documents classified streamflow duration, but only 45 provided flow class and locality. Within those documents, we identified 425 candidate SDAM study reaches, of which 308, 103, and 14 were perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral, respectively. Hydrology, chemistry, and geomorphology are the most frequently published U.S. Caribbean stream research topics. Out of thirteen hydrogeographic frameworks, the ecological life zones framework is the most suitable for a Caribbean SDAM. The subtropical dry forest zone contained most of the intermittent reaches, while perennial reaches dominated the subtropical moist forest and subtropical wet forest zones.