Does the United States observe daylight saving time?

Most US states observe DST — clocks spring forward at 2 AM on the second Sunday in March and fall back at 2 AM on the first Sunday in November. Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii do not observe DST and stay on a fixed UTC offset year-round.

World Clock
United States

Updated Mar 2026

Current Time in United States

Q: What time is it in United States right now?

United States spans 6 timezones: AKST, CST, EST, HST, MST, PST. Use the live clocks on this page for the exact local time in each major city.

Q: When is the best time to call someone in United States?

Aim for 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time in the specific city you are calling. Because United States spans 6 timezones, the right call window depends on the city, not just the country. Use the Best Time to Call calculator for an exact overlap window.

Live clocks for every United States city — UTC offsets, DST status, and inter-city time gaps.

Washington, United States

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EST DST observed

Full Washington Details

Los Angeles --:--:-- PST Chicago --:--:-- CST Phoenix --:--:-- MST Honolulu --:--:-- HST Anchorage --:--:-- AKST

United States's Timezone System Explained

The United States spans six time zones across the contiguous 48 states, Alaska, and Hawaii — making it one of the most important countries to understand for international scheduling.

Eastern Time (ET) covers the most populous corridor: New York, Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Detroit. Standard time is UTC−5 (EST); daylight time is UTC−4 (EDT). Central Time (CT) covers Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, and New Orleans — UTC−6 (CST) and UTC−5 (CDT). Mountain Time (MT) covers Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Albuquerque — UTC−7 (MST) and UTC−6 (MDT). Pacific Time (PT) covers Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, and Portland — UTC−8 (PST) and UTC−7 (PDT).

Alaska Time (AKT) covers Anchorage and Fairbanks — UTC−9 (AKST) / UTC−8 (AKDT). Hawaii-Aleutian Time (HST) covers Honolulu at UTC−10 with no daylight saving time ever.

DST in 2025: clocks spring forward on Sunday 9 March and fall back on Sunday 2 November in all states except Arizona (stays on MST, UTC−7, year-round) and Hawaii. The Navajo Nation within Arizona does observe DST. Indiana formerly had complex rules but now observes Eastern Time statewide.

Key inter-city gaps during standard time: New York to Chicago = 1 hour. New York to Denver = 2 hours. New York to Los Angeles = 3 hours. New York to Anchorage = 4 hours. New York to Honolulu = 5 hours. During EDT, the New York–London difference narrows to 4 hours.

United States Cities by Timezone

6 timezones · 129 cities · live times

EST 42 PST 40 CST 25 MST 20 HST 1 AKST 1

EST

42 cities

PST

40 cities

CST

25 cities

MST

20 cities

HST

1 city

Honolulu

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AKST

1 city

Anchorage

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Time differences may shift seasonally when cities observe different daylight saving schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions

Timezones, DST rules, and scheduling in United States

What time is it in United States right now?

United States spans 6 timezones — AKST, CST, EST, HST, MST, PST — so there is no single answer. The live clocks above show the exact time in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix.

How many timezones does United States have?

United States uses 6 timezones: AKST, CST, EST, HST, MST, PST. Not all regions change clocks on the same schedule — check the DST badge next to each city clock for the current status.

Does United States observe daylight saving time?

Most US states spring forward at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and fall back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November. Two exceptions: Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) year-round with no DST. Hawaii stays on HST (UTC−10) year-round. The Navajo Nation within Arizona does follow DST.

What is the time difference between New York and Los Angeles?

New York (ET) is always 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles (PT) year-round — both observe DST on the same schedule. Other key gaps: New York to Chicago = 1 hour, New York to Denver = 2 hours, New York to Anchorage = 4 hours, New York to Honolulu = 5 hours (fixed, Hawaii has no DST).

Does Arizona observe daylight saving time?

No — Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) stays on MST (UTC−7) year-round. Phoenix and Denver share the same time in winter, but Denver moves 1 hour ahead of Phoenix in summer. Hawaii also skips DST permanently, staying on HST (UTC−10) all year.

Does the US observe daylight saving time?

Most US states spring forward at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and fall back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November. Exceptions: Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) year-round. Hawaii stays on HST (UTC−10) year-round. The Navajo Nation within Arizona does follow DST.

How many time zones does the United States have?

The contiguous US spans 4 main time zones: Eastern (UTC−5/−4), Central (UTC−6/−5), Mountain (UTC−7/−6), and Pacific (UTC−8/−7). Including Alaska (AKST, UTC−9) and Hawaii (HST, UTC−10), the total is 6 — the widest span of any country after Russia.

What is the time difference between the US and the UK?

New York (EST) is 5 hours behind London (GMT) in winter. The gap narrows to 4 hours when the UK moves to BST in late March, and returns to 5 hours when the US falls back in early November — a 3-week window each autumn where the gap is temporarily 4 hours with both on 'standard' time.

When is the best time to call someone in United States?

Aim for 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM local time in the specific city. Because United States spans 6 timezones, the overlap window from your location differs between cities. Open any city page above for its full scheduling guide.

How accurate are the live clocks on this page?

All clocks update every second using your browser's timezone engine with current DST rules applied automatically. The displayed times match the official local time in each city — no manual refresh needed.