| Formation | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | Charlotte |
| Location | |
Membership | Miss USA |
Official language | English |
Key people | Janice McDonald Paula Miles |
| Website | Official website |
The Miss North Carolina USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant. This state is part of the RPM Productions group since 1992.
In 2005, Miss North Carolina USA Chelsea Cooley won the Miss USA crown and placed in the top 10 at Miss Universe. Cooley is the first former Miss North Carolina Teen USA to win the Miss title, although not the first to have competed at Miss Teen USA. The second Miss North Carolina Teen USA to win the Miss title was Erin O'Kelley in 2007. She went on to place in the top 15 at Miss USA 2007. Similar to the Miss Utah USA titleholders, both Cooley and Kelley placed at Miss USA, eclipsing their teen performances. In 2009, Kristen Dalton became the second woman from North Carolina to be crowned Miss USA. In 2019, Cheslie Kryst became the third woman from the state to win Miss USA. In both occasions, they placed top 10 on their respective Miss Universe pageants.
North Carolina is currently third tied with Idaho in number of former teens have competed in this pageant: eight, after Indiana and Virginia, including three competed at Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia, respectively. In addition, two others have also competed at Miss America.
In 2019 (billed as 2020 pageant), Madeline Delp was the first woman in a wheelchair to win the top 10 finalists in a statewide Miss USA pageant.[1]
Morgan Romano of Concord was crowned Miss North Carolina USA 2022 on January 29, 2022, at High Point Theater in High Point, North Carolina. She will represent North Carolina for the title of Miss USA 2022.
North Carolina holds a record of 19 placements at Miss USA.
| Year | Name | Hometown | Age[a] | Placement at Miss USA | Special awards at Miss USA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Miss North Carolina USA 2023 will be crowned on February 25, 2023[2] | |||||
| 2022 | Morgan Romano | Concord | 23 | To be announced | ||
| 2021 | Madison Bryant | Fayetteville | 24 | Top 8 | ||
| 2020 | Jane Axhoj | Waxhaw | 22 |
| ||
| 2019 | Laura Little[3] | Charlotte | 23 | Did not compete |
| |
| Cheslie Kryst | Charlotte | 27 | Miss USA 2019 | Top 10 at Miss Universe 2019 | ||
| 2018 | Caelynn Miller-Keyes | Asheville | 22 | 1st runner-up |
| |
| 2017 | Kaitlin "Katie" Coble | Charlotte | 26 |
| ||
| 2016 | Devin Gant | Charlotte | 24 | Originally first runner-up, assumed the title after Allie Dunn's resignation and competed in Miss USA[4] | ||
| Allison "Allie" Dunn | Stallings | 21 | Did not compete | Resigned the title a couple of weeks before the Miss USA 2016 pageant due to illness | ||
| 2015 | Julia Dalton | Wilmington | 23 |
| ||
| 2014 | Olivia Olvera | Fayetteville | 26 | |||
| 2013 | Ashley Love-Mills[5] | Raleigh | 24 | Top 10 | ||
| 2012 | Sydney Perry | Wilmington | 21 | Previously Miss Vermont Teen USA 2008 | ||
| 2011 | Brittany York | Wilmington | 22 | |||
| 2010 | Nadia Moffett | High Point | 24 | |||
| 2009 | Kristen Dalton | Wilmington | 21 | Miss USA 2009 |
| |
| 2008 | Andrea Duke | Hendersonville | 25 | Contestant at National Sweetheart 2006 | ||
| 2007 | Erin O'Kelley | Asheville | 21 | Top 15 | Previously Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2001 | |
| 2006 | Samantha Holvey | Buies Creek/ Glenville, WV |
20 | On Oct. 14, 2016 Holvey told CNN that Donald Trump personally inspected each woman prior to the contest.[6] | ||
| 2005 | Chelsea Cooley | Charlotte | 21 | Miss USA 2005 |
| |
| 2004 | Ashley Puleo | Pinehurst | 25 | 2nd Runner-up | Sister of Laura Puleo, Miss Virginia USA 2015 | |
| 2003 | Kristen Luneberg | Durham | 22 | Previously Miss Rhode Island Teen USA 1998 | ||
| 2002 | Alison English | Archdale | 22 | |||
| 2001 | Monica Palumbo | Charlotte | 19 | Miss Congeniality | ||
| 2000 | Portia Johnson | Greensboro | 24 | |||
| 1999 | Joy Hall | Sanford | 24 | |||
| 1998 | Vera Morris | Nashville | 23 | Miss Congeniality | ||
| 1997 | Crystal McLaurin-Coney | Durham | ||||
| 1996 | Jessica McMinn | Tuxedo | ||||
| 1995 | Michelle Mauney | Stanley |
| |||
| 1994 | Lynn Jenkins | Gastonia | 26 | 2nd Runner-up | ||
| 1993 | Christa Tyson | Monroe | ||||
| 1992 | Tess Elliott | High Point | 20 | Top 11 (10th Place) | Died in a sky-diving accident only weeks after the conclusion of her reign.[7] | |
| 1991 | Pat Arnold | Chapel Hill | 21 | Top 6 (5th place) | Miss Photogenic | |
| 1990 | Altman Allen | Shelby | ||||
| 1989 | Jacqueline Padgette | Hobgood | ||||
| 1988 | Tammy Tolar | Fayetteville | ||||
| 1987 | Donna Wilson | Davidson | ||||
| 1986 | Rhonda Nobles | Fayetteville | 20 | Top 10 Semi-finalist | ||
| 1985 | Kate Kenney | Raleigh | ||||
| 1984 | Cookie Noak | Hickory | 23 | Top 10 Semi-finalist | ||
| 1983 | Allison Payge Pinson | Mooresville | ||||
| 1982 | Jeannie Boger | Sanford | Mother of Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton (Miss North Carolina USA 2009) and Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2008 Julia Dalton (second-runner up at Miss Teen USA 2008). | |||
| 1981 | Lisa Swift | Southport | ||||
| 1980 | Lori Boggs | Kannapolis | ||||
| 1979 | Dianne Jamerson | Asheville | 24 | Top 12 Semi-finalist | ||
| 1978 | Kathryn Norman | Charlotte | ||||
| 1977 | Vikki Verbyla | Lenoir | ||||
| 1976 | Dianne Bowen | Windsor | ||||
| 1975 | Constance Dorn | Kinston | 21 | 2nd Runner-up |
| |
| 1974 | Marcia Patrice Burton | Hickory | 21 | 4th Runner-up | ||
| 1973 | Vivian Craig | Stanley | ||||
| 1972 | Deborah Falls | Vale | 21 | Top 12 Semi-finalist | ||
| 1971 | Mary Rudroff | Wiston-Salem | ||||
| 1970 | Susan Bodsford | Ramseur | ||||
| 1969 | Faye Bass | Durham | 19 | Received United Artist Special Talent Award | ||
| 1968 | Kelli Moore | Raleigh | ||||
| 1967 | Patti Effron | Jacksonville | ||||
| 1966 | Brenda Moye | Fountain | ||||
| 1965 | Sandra Farmer | Greensboro | ||||
| 1964 | Did Not Compete | |||||
| 1963 | Trudy Cauthen | Newton | ||||
| 1962 | Brenda Smith | Charlotte | ||||
| 1961 | Marie Clyburn | Charlotte | ||||
| 1960 | Lyndia Tarlton | Wingate | 19 | 3rd Runner-up | ||
| 1959 | Peggy Brown | Sunbury | ||||
| 1958 | Carol Edwards | Elizabeth City | ||||
| 1957 | Peggy Dennis | Lilesville | ||||
| 1956 | Shirley Bagwell | Raleigh | 18 | Top 15 Semi-finalist | ||
| 1955 | Mary Ratliffe | Wadesboro | ||||
| 1954 | Ann Pickett | Charlotte | ||||
| 1953 | Libby Walker | Wilton | ||||
| 1952 | Doris Stanley | Greensboro | ||||
