Americas · North America · Sovereign state
Current time in United States
Spans 8 time zones from UTC-10:00 to UTC-04:00, a 6-hour difference. 27 of 29 zones currently in DST.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About United States's time
8 time zones.
The 50 U.S. states span six standard time zones, from Eastern Time (UTC-05:00) to Hawaii-Aleutian Time (UTC-10:00); counting its territories, U.S. law defines nine. Most of the country observes daylight saving time, but Hawaii and most of Arizona do not.
Next clock change
2026 Sunday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · in 2 weeks.
Affects 27 of 29 zones.
Daylight saving schedule
By time zone
Time zones of United States.
8 time zones
Major cities
Cities of United States.
Territories & dependencies
The Republic, around the world.
History
How United States keeps time.
- U.S. railroads introduced standard time zones on November 18, 1883; Congress made them law in 1918 with the Standard Time Act. - Indiana is split between Eastern Time and Central Time (a few counties in the northwest and southwest), and until 2006 most of the state did not observe DST; since 2006 the whole state does. - None of the inhabited U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, observe DST.
Did you know?
Things about United States's time.
- The 50 states alone span six standard time zones, from UTC-05:00 on the East Coast to UTC-10:00 in Hawaii, so office hours in New York and Honolulu overlap by only two or three hours. - Some territories, like Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, use different standard times not found in the contiguous states. - Guam uses Chamorro Standard Time (UTC+10:00), a zone not shared by any mainland U.S. regions.
Convert
United States to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about United States's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- Why did Indiana's clocks vary before 2006?
- Before 2006, some parts of Indiana did not observe DST, leading to varied practices within the state. Since 2006, the whole state observes DST.
- What time zone is Guam in?
- Guam uses Chamorro Standard Time (UTC+10:00), which is distinct and primarily used in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Do all U.S. territories observe daylight saving time?
- No. None of the inhabited U.S. territories observe DST: Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands stay on Atlantic Standard Time, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Chamorro Standard Time, and American Samoa on Samoa Standard Time all year.
- How many time zones are in the U.S.?
- The 50 states span six standard time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian. Counting territories such as Puerto Rico (Atlantic Time), American Samoa (Samoa Time) and Guam (Chamorro Time), U.S. law defines nine.
- What are the exceptions to DST in the U.S.?
- Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time, making it an exception.
- Why does the U.S. have so many time zones?
- The size of the country extends into various longitudes, creating several standard times and additional complexities with DST.
- What's unique about Indiana's time zone history?
- Indiana is still split: most of the state uses Eastern Time, while a few counties in the northwest and southwest use Central Time. Until 2006 most of the state also skipped DST; since 2006 the whole state observes it.
- Are there U.S. territories that don't align with standard U.S. time zones?
- Yes, territories have unique time zones (e.g., Chamorro Standard Time: UTC+10:00) not used in the contiguous U.S.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
Free · Developer API
This country, as JSON.
Its default time zone, zone and city counts and DST summary, from one endpoint.
Also in the API: time zones by coordinates, conversions that flag daylight saving gaps, and abbreviations decoded.
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