Time varies across 4 main zones in the country. When it's 12:00 PM in New York (Eastern), it's 11:00 AM in Chicago (Central), 10:00 AM in Denver (Mountain), and 9:00 AM in Los Angeles (Pacific).
Understanding US Time ZonesThere are 4 primary time zones in the contiguous 48 states:
Eastern Time (ET): New York, Washington DC, Florida, Georgia - UTC-5 (EST) / UTC-4 (EDT) Central Time (CT): Chicago, Texas, Louisiana, Illinois - UTC-6 (CST) / UTC-5 (CDT) Mountain Time (MT): Denver, Arizona*, Colorado, Utah - UTC-7 (MST) / UTC-6 (MDT) Pacific Time (PT): Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, California - UTC-8 (PST) / UTC-7 (PDT)*Most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Sing Time and stays on MST year-round.
Is There One Time in the US?No, there is no single time across the US. The country spans 4 time zones (6 if you count Alaska and Hawaii). This means:
When it's 3:00 PM in New York, it's 12:00 PM (noon) in Los Angeles The difference from East Coast to West Coast is exactly 3 hours Business hours vary: 9 AM EST = 6 AM PST Why is California Behind New York?California (Pacific Time) is 3 hours behind New York (Eastern Time) because the Earth rotates from west to east. The sun rises in the east first, meaning New York experiences sunrise, noon, and sunset 3 hours before California does.
This is why when New Yorkers are hing lunch at noon, people in Los Angeles are still in their morning routine at 9:00 AM.
Does the US Observe Daylight Sing Time?Yes, most of the United States observes Daylight Sing Time (DST). Clocks "spring forward" 1 hour on the second Sunday in March and "fall back" 1 hour on the first Sunday in November.
Exceptions that do NOT observe DST:
Hawaii (stays on HST all year) Most of Arizona (stays on MST all year) Some US territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa) US Time Compared to India (IST)India is significantly ahead of all US time zones:
US Time Zone Difference vs India Example Eastern (ET) 10.5 hours behind 12:00 PM ET = 10:30 PM IST Central (CT) 11.5 hours behind 12:00 PM CT = 11:30 PM IST Mountain (MT) 12.5 hours behind 12:00 PM MT = 12:30 AM IST (next day) Pacific (PT) 13.5 hours behind 12:00 PM PT = 1:30 AM IST (next day)Use the converter links above to calculate exact times between US time zones and India.
Major US Cities Time ZonesHere's where other major US cities fall in different time zones:
City State Time Zone Phoenix Arizona Mountain (MT) - No DST Philadelphia Pennsylvania Eastern (ET) San Antonio Texas Central (CT) San Diego California Pacific (PT) Dallas Texas Central (CT) Austin Texas Central (CT) Jacksonville Florida Eastern (ET) San Jose California Pacific (PT) Columbus Ohio Eastern (ET) Oakland California Pacific (PT) Frequently Asked Questions No, the United States spans 4 main time zones: Eastern Time (ET), Central Time (CT), Mountain Time (MT), and Pacific Time (PT). The continental US covers 3 hours of difference from east to west. California is in the Pacific Time zone (PT) which is 3 hours behind New York's Eastern Time zone (ET). This is because the sun rises and sets later in the west. When it's 12:00 PM in New York, it's 9:00 AM in California. Yes, most of the United States observes Daylight Sing Time (DST). Clocks spring forward 1 hour on the second Sunday in March and fall back 1 hour on the first Sunday in November. Exceptions include Hawaii, most of Arizona, and some US territories. India (IST) is 10.5 hours ahead of Eastern Time (ET), 11.5 hours ahead of Central Time (CT), 12.5 hours ahead of Mountain Time (MT), and 13.5 hours ahead of Pacific Time (PT). When it's 12:00 noon in New York, it's 10:30 PM in India. Different parts of the country can be in different parts of the day since it spans multiple time zones. Check the clocks above to see if it's AM or PM in Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific regions. New York is in the Eastern Time zone (ET). It observes EST (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-5) in winter and EDT (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-4) during daylight sing time. Los Angeles is in the Pacific Time zone (PT). It observes PST (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-8) in winter and PDT (Pacific Daylight Time, UTC-7) during daylight sing time. Related Time Zone PagesExplore more time zone information:
Country Time Now - Check current time in any country City Time Now - Find time in major world cities British Time Now - Current UK time All Time Converters - Browse all 58 timezone converters