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 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.