The United States spans six time zones (plus territories), but four cover the contiguous 48 states. Whether you're scheduling a meeting across coasts, watching a live event, or calling family, this cheat sheet has you covered.
The Four Contiguous US Time Zones
| Zone | Abbreviation | UTC Offset (Standard) | UTC Offset (DST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | EST / EDT | UTC−5 | UTC−4 |
| Central | CST / CDT | UTC−6 | UTC−5 |
| Mountain | MST / MDT | UTC−7 | UTC−6 |
| Pacific | PST / PDT | UTC−8 | UTC−7 |
What EST, CST, MST, PST Mean
- EST = Eastern Standard Time (winter), EDT = Eastern Daylight Time (summer)
- When people say "ET" they mean whichever applies currently (standard or daylight)
💡 Quick OffsetEach zone is 1 hour behind the one to its east. If it's 3pm ET, it's 2pm CT, 1pm MT, and 12pm PT.
Which States Are in Which Time Zone?
| Time Zone | Major States |
|---|---|
| Eastern | New York, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts |
| Central | Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee (most) |
| Mountain | Colorado, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho (southern) |
| Pacific | California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho (northern) |
Daylight Saving Time (DST)
Most of the US observes DST: clocks "spring forward" 1 hour in March and "fall back" in November.
- Starts: Second Sunday in March at 2:00 AM → clocks jump to 3:00 AM
- Ends: First Sunday in November at 2:00 AM → clocks fall back to 1:00 AM
States That DON'T Observe DST:
- Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) — stays on MST year-round
- Hawaii — stays on HST (UTC−10) year-round
Alaska and Hawaii
| Zone | States | UTC Offset | DST? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska (AKST/AKDT) | Alaska | UTC−9 / UTC−8 | Yes |
| Hawaii-Aleutian (HST) | Hawaii | UTC−10 | No |
Converting Between Time Zones
The simplest approach: find the UTC time, then add the destination's offset.
Example: It's 3:00 PM PST (UTC−8). What time is it in New York (EST, UTC−5)?
UTC time = 3:00 PM + 8 hours = 11:00 PM UTC
EST = 11:00 PM − 5 hours = 6:00 PM EST
Scheduling Tips
- Use tools like "9am ET" — Eastern is the default reference for US business
- For international calls, convert everything to UTC first
- Remember: Arizona doesn't change, so its offset from California changes by 1 hour in summer (same time as California instead of 1 hour ahead)
- India (IST = UTC+5:30) is always 9.5 hours ahead of California (PST) or 10.5 in summer
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