Check the current local time in Chicago, United States. Chicago uses the America/Chicago time zone, with CST (UTC -6:00) during standard time and CDT (UTC -5:00) during daylight saving time.
CST
UTC -6:00
Used outside daylight saving time
CDT
UTC -5:00
Observed during daylight saving time
DST ends
November 1, 2026
Based on Second Sunday in March / First Sunday in November
Chicago runs on Central Time (CST/CDT) — the reference for most of the middle third of the US. CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) and CBOE options exchange both anchor here. Business hours 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM CT. Multi-office US calls with Chicago often use "10 AM ET / 9 AM CT" — the 1-h offset from Eastern is the most-common domestic US timezone conversion after ET / PT.
North America runs five continental-US timezones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaskan) plus Newfoundland (a 30-minute offset from Atlantic Time — one of the few 30-minute timezones outside Asia). DST is nearly universal (except Arizona, Hawaii, most of Saskatchewan) and runs March → November. Business scheduling defaults to Eastern for multi-office US corporations regardless of headquarters.
Chicago operates on the America/Chicago timezone, alternating between CST (Central Standard Time, UTC −6:00) in winter and CDT (Central Daylight Time, UTC −5:00) from mid-March to early November. As the home of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) — the world's largest and oldest futures exchanges — Chicago time is the reference timezone for global commodity and derivatives trading.
The CME Group's flagship markets open at 5:00 PM CST on Sunday for electronic trading and run nearly 24 hours through Friday at 4:00 PM CST, with brief daily maintenance windows. This near-continuous schedule means traders in London (GMT), Singapore (SGT), and Tokyo (JST) can all access Chicago's futures markets during their own business days — though the deepest liquidity occurs during Chicago's standard business hours (7:00 AM to 3:00 PM CST).
Chicago vs New York: Chicago is consistently 1 hour behind New York — CST versus EST, or CDT versus EDT. This alignment, combined with Chicago's central US location, makes it the natural hub for mid-continent US operations. From London (GMT), Chicago is 6 hours behind in winter (CST) and 5 hours behind in summer (CDT), offering a workable morning London window for Chicago afternoon calls.
Chicago is also a major hub for the airline industry — O'Hare International Airport handles more daily flights than almost any other airport in the world, reflecting the city's position as the geographic midpoint of US cross-country travel. For business travellers arriving from Asia or Europe, Chicago time often serves as a practical reset point before onward travel to either US coast.
Chicago business hours run 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST/CDT, Monday to Friday. Trading firms often operate from 6:00 AM.
Local Exchange
Chicago Mercantile Exchange — global futures and derivatives hub.
Daylight Saving Time
DST ends on November 1, 2026. Clocks fall back — sunrise and sunset shift one hour earlier in Chicago.
These cities share the same time zone as Chicago — when it's 12:47:38 AM here, it's the same local time there.
Major cities in United States — some may be in a different time zone than Chicago if the country spans multiple zones.
Find the perfect overlap time between your timezone and Chicago. Our calculator shows when business hours align.
Calculate Best Calling TimeEverything you need to know about Chicago time
