US Time Zone Map: Every State and Territory at a Glance

us time zone map: every state and territory at a glance

A conference call scheduled for 9:15 AM Eastern reaches Chicago desks at 8:15 AM, Denver desks at 7:15 AM, Los Angeles at 6:15 AM, and Honolulu at 4:15 AM. That five-hour spread is why the map matters for calls, travel, and broadcast schedules.

what the map actually shows

The United States runs on six time zones across its fifty states, with three more in inhabited territories. Across the contiguous states, west to east: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern. Alaska and Hawaii each keep their own zones. The territories add Atlantic, Samoa, and Chamorro time.

Time Zone	UTC Offset (Standard/Daylight)	Major Coverage
Eastern	UTC-5 / UTC-4	East Coast, Northeast, Southeast
Central	UTC-6 / UTC-5	Midwest, Great Plains, South
Mountain	UTC-7 / UTC-6	Rocky Mountains, Southwest
Pacific	UTC-8 / UTC-7	West Coast
Alaska	UTC-9 / UTC-8	Most of Alaska
Hawaii-Aleutian	UTC-10 / UTC-9	Hawaii, western Aleutians
Atlantic	UTC-4	Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
Samoa	UTC-11	American Samoa
Chamorro	UTC+10	Guam, Northern Mariana Islands

reading the boundaries

Each zone steps one hour earlier moving west. Noon in New York means 11:00 AM in Chicago, 10:00 AM in Denver, 9:00 AM in Los Angeles, 8:00 AM in Anchorage, and 7:00 AM in Honolulu.

The boundaries follow county lines and natural features, not state borders. Thirteen states split between two zones. That makes the map more complex than it first appears.

eastern time zone

Eastern Time holds roughly half the nation's population. It covers the entire East Coast from Maine to Florida, plus inland states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and most of Michigan. New York City, Washington DC, Boston, and Atlanta all run on Eastern Time.

During daylight saving, Eastern shifts from UTC-5 (EST) to UTC-4 (EDT).

Washington sits in America/New_York. On the March equinox (20 March 2026), sunrise hits at 07:13 and sunset at 19:19, giving 12 hours 6 minutes of daylight. The June solstice (21 June 2026) stretches that to 14 hours 54 minutes: sunrise 05:42, sunset 20:36. By the December solstice (21 December 2026), daylight shrinks to 9 hours 26 minutes, with sunrise at 07:22 and sunset at 16:49.

central time zone

Central Time covers a broad band from the Gulf Coast to the Canadian border. Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and Minneapolis all operate on Central Time. It shifts between UTC-6 (CST) and UTC-5 (CDT).

The zone's western edge cuts through the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

mountain time zone

Mountain Time spans the Rocky Mountain region: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and western Texas. Denver, Salt Lake City, and Albuquerque are major cities in this zone. Phoenix sits here too, but with a catch.

Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7) year-round, skipping daylight saving entirely. During summer, Arizona matches Pacific Daylight Time.

pacific time zone

Pacific Time runs along the West Coast: California, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland all observe Pacific Time, shifting from UTC-8 (PST) to UTC-7 (PDT) during summer.

alaska and hawaii-aleutian zones

Alaska Time covers almost all of Alaska at UTC-9, moving to UTC-8 during DST. The western Aleutian Islands use Hawaii-Aleutian Time instead.

Hawaii-Aleutian Time sits at UTC-10 year-round. Hawaii does not observe DST. The state's tropical latitude means sunrise and sunset times barely shift across seasons.

Alaska consolidated from four time zones to two in 1983, simplifying logistics for the state's transportation and communication networks.

states split between zones

Thirteen states split between two time zones:

• Eastern/Central: Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan
• Central/Mountain: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas
• Mountain/Pacific: Idaho, Oregon
• Alaska/Hawaii-Aleutian: Alaska

The boundaries follow county lines. Mercer County, North Dakota, moved from Mountain to Central in 2010 after residents petitioned the Department of Transportation.

the arizona donut

Inside Arizona, a DST oddity plays out. The Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time, moving to Mountain Daylight Time (UTC-6) in summer. The Hopi Reservation sits entirely inside Navajo territory and does not observe DST.

During summer, the Hopi Reservation runs one hour behind the Navajo land surrounding it.

us territories

Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands use Atlantic Time (UTC-4). Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands use Chamorro Time (UTC+10). American Samoa uses Samoa Time (UTC-11). None of the territories observe DST.

daylight saving schedule

Clocks spring forward on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 AM local time. They fall back on the first Sunday in November at 2:00 AM local time.

In Washington for 2026: clocks go forward 60 minutes on Sunday 8 March at 02:00, shifting from EST to EDT. They go back 60 minutes on Sunday 1 November at 02:00, returning to EST.

For 2027: forward on Sunday 14 March, back on Sunday 7 November.

how washington connects to the world

On 15 January 2026, with Washington on EST (UTC-5), the offsets look like this:

Los Angeles runs 3 hours behind. Chicago runs 1 hour behind. São Paulo runs 2 hours ahead. London runs 5 hours ahead. Paris runs 6 hours ahead. Johannesburg runs 7 hours ahead. Dubai runs 9 hours ahead. Mumbai runs 10.5 hours ahead. Singapore runs 13 hours ahead. Tokyo runs 14 hours ahead. Sydney runs 16 hours ahead.

On 15 July 2026, with Washington on EDT (UTC-4): Los Angeles still 3 hours behind. Chicago still 1 hour behind. São Paulo 1 hour ahead. London 5 hours ahead. Paris 6 hours ahead. Johannesburg 6 hours ahead. Dubai 8 hours ahead. Mumbai 9.5 hours ahead. Singapore 12 hours ahead. Tokyo 13 hours ahead. Sydney 14 hours ahead.

united states public holidays

• New Year's Day: Thursday 1 January 2026; Friday 1 January 2027; Friday 31 December 2027 (observed)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday 19 January 2026; Monday 18 January 2027
• Washington's Birthday: Monday 16 February 2026; Monday 15 February 2027
• Memorial Day: Monday 25 May 2026; Monday 31 May 2027
• Juneteenth National Independence Day: Friday 19 June 2026; Friday 18 June 2027 (observed), Saturday 19 June 2027
• Independence Day: Friday 3 July 2026 (observed), Saturday 4 July 2026; Sunday 4 July 2027, Monday 5 July 2027 (observed)
• Labor Day: Monday 7 September 2026; Monday 6 September 2027
• Columbus Day: Monday 12 October 2026; Monday 11 October 2027
• Veterans Day: Wednesday 11 November 2026; Thursday 11 November 2027
• Thanksgiving Day: Thursday 26 November 2026; Thursday 25 November 2027
• Christmas Day: Friday 25 December 2026; Friday 24 December 2027 (observed), Saturday 25 December 2027

quick reference

• Eastern: New York, DC, Florida, most of Michigan
• Central: Chicago, Dallas, most of Texas
• Mountain: Denver, Salt Lake City; Arizona stays on MST year-round
• Pacific: Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland
• Alaska: Most of the state; DST observed
• Hawaii-Aleutian: Hawaii, no DST
• Split states: 13 total, boundaries follow county lines
• Navajo Nation observes DST; Hopi Reservation does not