These data were compiled to support a synthesis of over two decades of riparian plant and ecosystem water use estimates from the drylands of North America. The objectives of the study were to determine if some riparian plant communities exhibit lower plant water use than others, assess if plant water use changes under hotter climates, and evaluate if models based on existing data, plant communities and climate data can be used to predict water use for unmeasured locations. A systematic literature review was conducted in February 2024 using ISI Web of Science. We searched for riparian vegetation water use estimates in the drylands of North America with publication dates between 2000 through February 2024. This resulted in data that represented the years 1997 through 2020. Annual water use estimates, given in mm/year, and daily water use estimates, given in mm/day for riparian vegetation communities were extracted from the studies. Other data associated with each water use estimate included the study from which the estimate was extracted, the year of the water use estimate, the method used to generate the estimate, the vegetation community, and three climate variables for the study site. These data can be used to evaluate trends and variability in riparian plant community water use across climate gradients, methods, and time.