Miss United States 1961
Miss United States 1961, also referred to as Miss World USA 1961, was the 4th edition of the Miss United States World pageant and it was held in Carnegie Hall in New York City, New York and was won by Jo Ann Odum of West Virginia. She was crowned by outgoing titleholder, Judith Ann Achter of Missouri. Odum went on to represent the United States at the Miss World 1961 Pageant in London later that year. She finished in the Top 7 at Miss World.
Results
Placements
| Final results | Contestant |
| Miss United States 1961 Miss United States World 1961 |
|
| 1st Runner-Up |  New York – Janet Boring |
| 2nd Runner-Up |  California – Marlena Loren |
| 3rd Runner-Up |  Maryland – Diane Dolores White |
| 4th Runner-Up |  Missouri - Barbara Kohler |
West Special awards
Delegates
The Miss United States World 1961 delegates were:- Atlantic City, NJ - Lonnie Bell
- California - Marlena Loren
- Connecticut - Jayne Burghardt
- Delaware - Alicia Silver
- District of Columbia - Patricia "Patti" Alice Buck
- Florida - Lynne Shirley
- Georgia - Sandra New
- Idaho - Marva Jean Rich
- Kentucky - Louise King
- Louisville, KY - Martha Shipp
- Maine - Jennifer Farrell
- Maryland - Diane Dolores White
- Massachusetts - Sandra "Su Su" Smith
- Michigan - Mikki Catsman
- Mississippi - Diane Carpenter
- Missouri - Barbara Kohler
- New Jersey - Ione Williams
- New York - Janet Boring
- New York City, NY - Marilyn Chase
- North Carolina - Betsy Medlin
- Ohio - Judith Kay Tewalt
- Oregon - Sharon Wiley
- Pennsylvania - Marcia Freedman
- Philadelphia, PA - Mary Lee Winton
- Rhode Island - Paula Holmes
- South Carolina - Judy Austin
- Spartanburg, SC - Rita Souther
- Tennessee - Christine McSwain
- Texas - Cheryl Stubblefield
- Vermont - Florene Mayette
- Virginia - Laurie Mills
- West Virginia - Jo Ann Odum
- Wisconsin - Judith Greco
Did not Compete
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Crossovers
;Miss USA
- 1959: ': Jayne Burghardt
- 1959: ': Diane Dolores White
- 1960: ': Christine McSwain
- 1961: ': Florene Mayette
- 1963: : Sandra "Su Su" Smith