US Time Zones: Current Time and Zones by State
The 50 US states use six time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific across the contiguous states, plus Alaska and Hawaii–Aleutian. The clock below shows the current time in each one, the converter translates any time between zones, and the table further down gives the zone for every state.
What time is it in the US right now?
Live local time in each zone, Daylight Saving Time included.
| Zone | Time now | Abbr. / UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern New York | – | UTC−5 / −4 |
| Central Chicago | – | UTC−6 / −5 |
| Mountain Denver | – | UTC−7 / −6 |
| Arizona Phoenix | – | UTC−7 |
| Pacific Los Angeles | – | UTC−8 / −7 |
| Alaska Anchorage | – | UTC−9 / −8 |
| Hawaii Honolulu | – | UTC−10 |
Your local time: –
Convert a time between zones
The six time zones
Moving from east to west, local time is one hour earlier at each zone boundary. Here they are, in order:
Eastern Time (ET)
The most populated zone. It covers the Atlantic seaboard and the eastern Midwest: New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami. States include Florida (most), Georgia, Ohio, Michigan (most), New York and Virginia. It is the reference clock for Wall Street and US financial markets.
Central Time (CT)
One hour behind Eastern. It covers the heartland: Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, New Orleans, Memphis, Minneapolis. Typical states: Texas (most), Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alabama and Mississippi.
Mountain Time (MT)
Two hours behind Eastern. It follows the Rocky Mountains: Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, and all of Arizona. States: Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, southern Idaho and Arizona, which has the special status explained below.
Pacific Time (PT)
Three hours behind Eastern. It covers the entire West Coast: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas. States: California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada. This is the clock of Hollywood studios and Silicon Valley.
Alaska Time (AKT)
Four hours behind Eastern. It covers nearly all of Alaska, including Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks.
Hawaii–Aleutian Time (HAT)
The westernmost zone: five hours behind Eastern in winter, six in summer, because Hawaii does not observe Daylight Saving Time. It covers Hawaii (Honolulu) and the far end of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, which does change its clocks (UTC−9 in summer).
Which time zone is each state in?
| State | Main zone | Exception |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Central | – |
| Alaska | Alaska | Far western Aleutian Islands: Hawaii–Aleutian |
| Arizona | Mountain | No DST, except the Navajo Nation |
| Arkansas | Central | – |
| California | Pacific | – |
| Colorado | Mountain | – |
| Connecticut | Eastern | – |
| Delaware | Eastern | – |
| District of Columbia | Eastern | – |
| Florida | Eastern | Western Panhandle: Central |
| Georgia | Eastern | – |
| Hawaii | Hawaii–Aleutian | No DST |
| Idaho | Mountain | Northern panhandle: Pacific |
| Illinois | Central | – |
| Indiana | Eastern | Northwest and southwest corners: Central |
| Iowa | Central | – |
| Kansas | Central | Four western counties: Mountain |
| Kentucky | Eastern | Western part: Central |
| Louisiana | Central | – |
| Maine | Eastern | – |
| Maryland | Eastern | – |
| Massachusetts | Eastern | – |
| Michigan | Eastern | Four counties on the Wisconsin border: Central |
| Minnesota | Central | – |
| Mississippi | Central | – |
| Missouri | Central | – |
| Montana | Mountain | – |
| Nebraska | Central | Western panhandle: Mountain |
| Nevada | Pacific | West Wendover: Mountain |
| New Hampshire | Eastern | – |
| New Jersey | Eastern | – |
| New Mexico | Mountain | – |
| New York | Eastern | – |
| North Carolina | Eastern | – |
| North Dakota | Central | Southwest: Mountain |
| Ohio | Eastern | – |
| Oklahoma | Central | – |
| Oregon | Pacific | Most of Malheur County: Mountain |
| Pennsylvania | Eastern | – |
| Rhode Island | Eastern | – |
| South Carolina | Eastern | – |
| South Dakota | Central | Western part: Mountain |
| Tennessee | Central | East Tennessee: Eastern |
| Texas | Central | El Paso and Hudspeth counties: Mountain |
| Utah | Mountain | – |
| Vermont | Eastern | – |
| Virginia | Eastern | – |
| Washington | Pacific | – |
| West Virginia | Eastern | – |
| Wisconsin | Central | – |
| Wyoming | Mountain | – |
Fourteen states are split between two zones: Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas. If you are arranging a call or a pickup near a zone line, check the county, not just the state.
UTC offset table
Each zone has two values: Standard Time (winter) and Daylight Saving Time (summer), which is one hour ahead.
| Zone | Standard (winter) | Summer (DST) | Anchor city |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | UTC−5 (EST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | New York |
| Central (CT) | UTC−6 (CST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | Chicago |
| Mountain (MT) | UTC−7 (MST) | UTC−6 (MDT) | Denver |
| Pacific (PT) | UTC−8 (PST) | UTC−7 (PDT) | Los Angeles |
| Alaska (AKT) | UTC−9 (AKST) | UTC−8 (AKDT) | Anchorage |
| Hawaii–Aleutian (HAT) | UTC−10 (HST) | UTC−10 (no DST in Hawaii; Aleutians UTC−9) | Honolulu |
Daylight Saving Time
Most of the United States moves its clocks forward one hour in spring and back in fall. Federal law sets the dates:
- Start ("spring forward"): the 2nd Sunday in March, at 2:00 a.m. You lose one hour.
- End ("fall back"): the 1st Sunday in November, at 2:00 a.m. You gain one hour.
| Year | Clocks forward | Clocks back |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, March 8 | Sunday, November 1 |
| 2027 | Sunday, March 14 | Sunday, November 7 |
Permanent Daylight Saving Time keeps coming up in Congress. The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July 2026, but as of late October 2026 we found no Senate vote, so the rules above still apply.
Two places do not observe Daylight Saving Time and stay on standard time all year: Arizona (except the Navajo Nation, which does observe it) and Hawaii. The Hopi Reservation, inside the Navajo Nation, stays on Arizona time. None of the five inhabited territories observes it either: Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands use Atlantic Time (UTC−4), Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands use Chamorro Time (UTC+10), and American Samoa uses Samoa Time (UTC−11). With those, US law recognizes nine time zones.
Time difference with the UK and Europe
London is on UTC in winter and UTC+1 in summer; Paris, Berlin and most of the EU are one hour ahead of London. For most of the year, the differences are:
| US city | Behind London | Behind Paris |
|---|---|---|
| New York (Eastern) | 5 hours | 6 hours |
| Chicago (Central) | 6 hours | 7 hours |
| Denver (Mountain) | 7 hours | 8 hours |
| Los Angeles (Pacific) | 8 hours | 9 hours |
| Honolulu (Hawaii) | 10 hours in winter, 11 in summer | 11 hours in winter, 12 in summer |
Europe changes its clocks on the last Sunday of March and of October, not on the US dates. In the gap, each US zone is one hour closer to Europe: New York is 4 hours behind London and 5 behind Paris. In 2026 the gaps run March 8–29 and October 25–November 1; in 2027, March 14–28 and October 31–November 7.
The most workable window for a transatlantic call is early afternoon in Europe, which is morning on the US East Coast.
To explore the states and their capitals, see our states, capitals and abbreviations tool and our US geography and regions guide. Planning a road trip? The miles ↔ kilometers converter will come in handy.
Frequently asked questions
How many time zones does the US have?
Six zones cover the 50 states: Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii–Aleutian. Counting the territories, US law recognizes nine.
Does Arizona change its clocks?
No. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) all year and does not observe Daylight Saving Time. The main exception is the Navajo Nation in the northeast of the state, which does observe it. Hawaii does not change its clocks either.
What is the time difference between New York and Paris?
Six hours as a rule: when it is 6:00 p.m. in Paris, it is noon in New York. It drops to 5 hours during the few weeks when the US and European clock changes are out of sync.
Why doesn't a show listed "8pm ET" start at the same time everywhere?
Because the same "ET" (Eastern) time equals 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain and 5 p.m. Pacific. Networks often write "8pm ET / 5pm PT" to remove the ambiguity.
When does the US change its clocks?
Clocks spring forward on the 2nd Sunday in March and fall back on the 1st Sunday in November, both at 2:00 a.m. local time.
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