| Winner: | Kelli McCarty |
| Represented: | Kansas |
| Date: | February 22, 1991 |
| Venue: | Century II Convention Center, Wichita, Kansas |
| Congeniality: | Charlotte Ray (New Jersey) |
| Photogenic: | Pat Arnold (North Carolina) |
| Entrants: | 51 |
| Placements: | 11 |
| Before: | 1990 |
| Next: | 1992 |
Miss USA 1991 was the 40th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on February 22, 1991. At the conclusion of the final competition, Kelli McCarty of Kansas was crowned by outgoing titleholder Carole Gist of Michigan.[1] McCarty became the first titleholder from Kansas and only the third winner to be crowned as Miss USA in her home state.
The pageant was hosted by Dick Clark for the third of five years, with color commentary by Barbara Eden for the only time, and Miss USA 1970 Deborah Shelton for the first time.
This was the second of four years that the pageant was held in Wichita, Kansas.[1]
This year was the first time that the delegates were introduced region by region and one by one in the Parade of States. The regions are the Midwest, the South, the Northeast, the Northwest, and the Southwest.
This was also the last year that the 1st runner-up would go on to represent the US at Miss World, as the Miss World Organization from this point forward stopped accepting 1st runner-ups from Miss USA, due to the pageant not making a public announcement that the 1st runner-up was going to compete at Miss World. Starting in 1992, a separate pageant would be held to determine the US delegate for Miss World.
| Final Results | Contestant | International pageant | International Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss USA 1991 |
| Miss Universe 1991 | Top 6 |
| 1st Runner-Up | Miss World 1991 | Top 10 | |
| 2nd Runner-Up |
| ||
| Top 6 |
| ||
| Top 11 |
| ||
| Award | Contestant | |
|---|---|---|
| Miss Congeniality | ||
| Miss Photogenic |
| |
| Best State Costume |
|
The Miss USA 1991 delegates were: