Miss USA 1977
Miss USA 1977, the 26th Miss USA pageant, was televised live by CBS from the Gillard Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina on May 14, 1977.
The pageant was won by Kimberly Tomes of Texas, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Barbara Peterson of Minnesota. Tomes was the first woman from Texas to win the Miss USA title, and went on to place as a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1977.
Results
| Final Results | Contestant |
| Miss USA 1977 |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |  Nevada – Mary O'Neal Contino |
| 2nd Runner-Up |  Minnesota – Deborah Cossette |
| 3rd Runner-Up |  California –Pamela Gergely |
| 4th Runner-Up |  Virginia – Lynn Herring |
| Top 12 |  Arizona – Toni Abranovic  District of Columbia – Sharon Sutherland Georgia – Linda Kerr Hawaii – Cely de Castro  Maine – Tina Brown New Jersey – Juanita McCarty  New Mexico – Denise Funderburk |
Texas – Kimberly TomesSpecial awards
Historical significance
- Texas wins competition for the first time and surpasses its previous highest placement in 1971. Also becoming in the 19th state who does it for the first time.
- Nevada earns the 1st runner-up position for the first time.
- Minnesota earns the 2nd runner-up position for the first time.
- California earns the 3rd runner-up position for the fourth time. The last time it placed this was in 1974.
- Virginia earns the 4th runner-up position for the first time and it reaches the highest placement since Deborah Shelton won in 1970.
- States that placed in semifinals the previous year were California, Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico and Texas.
- California placed for the twenty-first consecutive year.
- Texas placed for the third consecutive year.
- Georgia, Minnesota and New Mexico made their second consecutive placement.
- District of Columbia, Hawaii, New Jersey and Virginia last placed in 1975.
- Arizona and Nevada last placed in 1974.
- Maine last placed in 1970.
- Missouri breaks an ongoing streak of placements since 1974.
Delegates
- Alabama - Cheryl Burgess
- Alaska - Edith Baker
- Arizona - Toni Abranovic
- Arkansas - Debra Duree
- California - Pamela Gergely
- Colorado - Mary Anne Genzel
- Connecticut - Susan Crone
- Delaware - Debby Faulkner
- District of Columbia - Sharon Sutherland
- Florida - Linda Lefevre
- Georgia - Linda Kerr
- Hawaii - Cely de Castro
- Idaho - Leslie Kingon
- Illinois - Elizabeth Curran
- Indiana - Lynn Flaherty
- Iowa - Cindy Woodard
- Kansas - Sherry Brane
- Kentucky - Sandy Smith
- Louisiana - Patti Rosenbalm
- Maine - Tina Brown
- Maryland - Twyla Littleton
- Massachusetts - Carolyn Marcil
- Michigan - Jenny Pinks
- Minnesota - Deborah Cossette
- Mississippi - Leigh Tapley
- Missouri - Connie Ast
- Montana - Theresa Rose Bajt
- Nebraska - Debbie Ridge
- Nevada - Mary O'Neal Cantino
- New Hampshire - Belinda Bridgeman
- New Jersey - Juanita McCarty
- New Mexico - Denise Funderburk
- New York - Deborah Martin
- North Carolina - Vikki Verbyla
- North Dakota - Barbara Redlin
- Ohio - Lesa Rummell
- Oklahoma - Kathy Malchar
- Oregon - Charisse Charlton
- Pennsylvania - Lorraine Lincoski
- Rhode Island - Susan Carten
- South Carolina - Pam Hoover
- South Dakota - Ginger Thomson
- Tennessee - Rene Jean Smith
- Texas - Kimberly Tomes
- Utah - Michele Miner
- Vermont - Anne Kent
- Virginia - Lynn Herring
- Washington - Ivy Lynn Reed
- West Virginia - Pat Brown
- Wisconsin - Vicki Payne
- Wyoming - Michele Fisser