Looking for the current time in US? Our live clocks show the exact time across the
country in all 4 major time zones and update every second. Compare with your timezone and
convert between US regions.
⚡ Quick Facts
⏰ Time Zones: 4 main zones
🔄 DST: Most states observe
🌍 Width: 3 hours coast-to-coast
🇺🇸 Coverage: 50 states
Current Time in US - All Time Zones
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 Zones
There 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)
Pacific Time (PT): Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, California - UTC-8 (PST) /
UTC-7 (PDT)
*Most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving 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 having lunch at noon, people in Los Angeles are still in their morning
routine at 9:00 AM.
Does the US Observe Daylight Saving Time?
Yes, most of the United States observes Daylight Saving 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 Zones
Here'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 Saving 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 saving 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 saving time.
