[4] The current reigning Miss USA is Alma Cooper of Michigan, who won the title on August 4, 2024 at the Peacock Theater, in Los Angeles, California.

[5] Other owners have included a subsidiary of Gulf+Western Industries, Procter & Gamble under division of Madison Square Productions and Donald Trump.

The only instance when a first runner-up assumed the title of Miss USA before this period was in 1957, when Mary Leona Gage of Maryland resigned after it was discovered she was married.

[16] The winner is assigned a one-year contract with the Miss Universe Organization, traveling across the United States and sometimes overseas to spread messages about their chosen causes.

Aside from the job, the winner also receives a cash allowance for her entire reign, a modeling portfolio, beauty products, clothes, shoes, styling, healthcare, and fitness services from different pageant sponsors.

[19][20] Starting with the 2023 edition of the pageant, the Miss Universe Organization announced in August 2022 that it would accept divorced, maritally annulled, married, or widowed women and mothers to compete in the pageant,[21] and the next year adult women of any age could compete.

[3] Later in September 2023, 2022 winner R'Bonney Gabriel announced that the organization would be forgoing the age limit, even for all its related pageants, not just Miss USA.

[25] In late-June 2015, both NBC and Spanish-language network Univision (which was to begin a new five-year contract for Spanish rights replacing Telemundo) announced that they would cut their ties with Donald Trump and the Miss Universe Organization in response to remarks Trump made relating to undocumented immigrants during the launch of his 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

The terms of the settlement remain confidential but included an agreement for Trump to buy back NBCUniversal's stake in the MUO.

[28][20] The Miss USA 2020 was impacted by scheduling delays, difficulty finding a location, and broadcasting issues amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

[33] On May 6, 2024, the reigning Miss USA 2023, Noelia Voigt, resigned from the title citing a desire to prioritize her mental health.

[34] Two days later, the reigning Miss Teen USA 2023, UmaSofia Srivastava, also resigned from her title.

[38] Voigt's first runner-up, Savannah Gankiewicz of Hawaii, assumed the title of Miss USA 2023 on May 9, 2024.

Bound by non-disclosure agreements with the Miss USA organization, the young women could not personally address the situation.

Their mothers, however, stated in an interview on Good Morning America: "The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare".

UmaSofia Srivastava announced her resignation on Instagram, stating her values “no longer aligned” with those of the organization.

Her mother, Jackeline Voigt, responding to queries about the implied message, avoided confirming its deliberate intent but underscored that her daughter felt silenced due to the ongoing provisions of the non-disclosure agreement.

[citation needed] The first Asian-American woman to win Miss USA was Macel Wilson of Hawaii in 1962; the first Hispanic woman was Laura Martinez-Herring of Texas in 1985; the first African-American winner was Carole Gist of Michigan in 1990;[53] the first Pacific Islander American Miss USA was Brook Lee of Hawaii in 1997;[54] and the first Middle Eastern American Miss USA was Rima Fakih of Michigan in 2010.

Those who have been successful in the industry include Summer Bartholomew, Deborah Shelton, Laura Martinez-Herring, Kelli McCarty, Shanna Moakler, Frances Parker, Ali Landry, Kenya Moore, Brandi Sherwood, Kimberly Pressler, Susie Castillo, Shandi Finnessey, Rachel Smith, Crystle Stewart, Olivia Culpo and Cheslie Kryst.

The Miss Amity Award is chosen by the delegates, and recognizes those who are the friendliest and make the pageant experience the most enjoyable.

There has been only one tie in this award's history: in 1980, when it was shared between Jineane Ford of Arizona and Elizabeth Kim Thomas of Ohio.

[61] In 2007, Pageant Place, a reality television show featuring Rachel Smith, Riyo Mori, Hilary Cruz, Katie Blair, and Tara Conner aired on MTV.

[62] On June 19, 2011, Bravo Television's Andy Cohen co-hosted the event's 60th anniversary live in Las Vegas with E!