Miss USA 1954

• South Carolina wins competition for the first time. Also becoming in the 3rd state who does it for the first time. Incidentally, Stevenson went on to become the first woman from the USA to win the Miss Universe title in 1954.
• Virginia earns the 1st runner-up position for the first time. Later disqualified for being underage.
• New York earns the 1st runner-up position for the first time. It reaches the highest placement since Jackie Loughery won the inaugural Miss USA in 1952.
• New York City earns the 2nd runner-up position for the first time.
• Texas earns the 3rd runner-up position for the first time.
• Illinois earns the 4th runner-up position for the first time. It reaches the highest placement since Myrna Hansen won in the previous year.
• States that placed in semifinals the previous year were California, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.
• Minnesota and New York placed for the third consecutive year.
• California, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas made their second consecutive placement.
• Indiana, Missouri, Montana and New Jersey last placed in 1952.
• Arkansas placed for the first time.
• Connecticut placed for the first time.
• District of Columbia placed for the first time.
• Maryland placed for the first time.
• New York City placed for the first time.
• Virginia placed for the first time.
• Wisconsin placed for the first time.
• Memphis placed for the first time.
• Louisiana breaks an ongoing streak of placements since 1952.

The Miss USA 1954 delegates were:

• Disqualified:
  • Maryland – Barbara Ann Eschenburg
  •   Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) – Elaine DuFeen
  • Virginia – Ellen Whitehead

• Miss Universe 1954

• Miss USA official website