USA Time Zone Map

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Standard Time Zones of the U.S. and its Neighbouring Areas

Time Zone	Standard	DST	Regions Included
Atlantic	UTC-04:00	not observed	Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
Eastern	UTC-05:00	UTC-04:00	Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont; Partially included: Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Michigan
Eastern	UTC-05:00	not observed	No Daylight Saving Time (DST) observed, not specified by 15 U.S.C.: Navassa Island, Serranilla Bank, Bajo Nuevo Bank
Central	UTC-06:00	UTC-05:00	Alabama, Illinois, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma; Partially included: Florida, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, Michigan, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Tennessee
Mountain	UTC-07:00	UTC-06:00	Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Utah; Partially included: Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Nevada, South Dakota, Oregon, Texas
Mountain	UTC-07:00	not observed	Arizona (no Daylight Saving Time outside of Navajo Nation)
Pacific	UTC-08:00	UTC-07:00	Washington (state), California; Partially included: Idaho, Oregon, Nevada
Alaska	UTC-09:00	UTC-08:00	Partially included: Alaska
Hawaii-Aleutian	UTC-10:00	UTC-09:00	Partially included: Alaska
Hawaii-Aleutian	UTC-10:00	not observed	Hawaii, Not specified by 15 U.S.C.: Johnston Atoll (no Daylight Saving Time observed in Johnston Atoll and Hawaii)
American Samoa	UTC-11:00	not observed	American Samoa; Not specified by 15 U.S.C.: Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll, Midway Atoll, Kingman Reef
-	UTC-12:00	not observed	Not specified by 15 U.S.C.: Howland Island, and Baker Island
-	UTC+12:00	not observed	Not specified by 15 U.S.C.: Wake Island
Chamorro	UTC+10:00	not observed	Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam

Time Zones Observed in the contiguous United States

Eastern Time Zone
Central Time Zone
Mountain Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone

Time Zones in States Away from the contiguous United States

Alaska Time Zone
Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone

Time Zones Observed in Territories of U.S.

Samoa Time Zone
Chamorro Time Zone
Atlantic Time Zone

Time Zones used in Minor Outlying Islands

Zulu time (UTC+00:00)
UTC−12:00
UTC+12:00
UTC−11:00
UTC−10:00
UTC−05:00)

Time Zones used in U.S. Antarctic Research Stations

UTC−03:00
UTC+12:00

The United States is a large country that spans across many time zones because of its extension from the east coast to the west coast and includes the time zones that begin with the Pacific in the west and ends at the Atlantic in the east. The concept of time zones is to maintain coherent timing throughout the country in order to synchronize various aspects of life, including economic activities, transportation, communication and administration. The contiguous U.S. and its territories are divided into six primary time zones. The transportation department of the country regulates time zones and follows the Standard of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) The use of Daylight Saving Time (DST) also affects time changes in most states as some states do not use it.

Eastern Time Zone (ET)

The most populous time zone in the United States is the Eastern Time Zone, which covers East Coast states like New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. During Standard Time it operates on UTC -5 and UTC -4 during Daylight Saving Time. Washington D.C., New York City, Atlanta, and Miami are major cities in this time zone. Eastern Time is important because it rules the financial markets, media broadcasting schedules, and major political activities like federal government operations.

Central Time Zone (CT)

The Central Time Zone is the biggest in terms of the area and population. It includes Texas, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin. It is at UTC -6 in standard time and UTC -5 in daylight saving time. The Central Time Zone is important for commerce, particularly in Chicago Houston and Dallas. Many businesses and industries are on Central time, it is an important hub for the agriculture, energy and manufacturing sectors. This zone is also important in the scheduling of national television broadcasts; it is often used as a reference between the eastern and mountain time zones.

Mountain Time Zone (MT)

The Mountain Time Zone of the United States includes Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Montana and covers much of the western part of the country. In Standard Time, it is on UTC-7 and UTC-6 in Daylight Saving Time. Daylight Saving Time is not observed by Arizona except for the Navajo Nation, which does follow the practice. Cities that are in the Mountain Time Zone include Denver, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. It is significant for its impact on outdoor recreation, tourism and the energy sector because of its closeness to major national parks, ski resorts, and mining operations.

Pacific Time Zone (PT)

The Pacific Time Zone covers the far western part of the contiguous United States (California, Oregon and Washington.) It is on UTC-8 time during Standard time and UTC-7 during Daylight Saving Time. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland are major cities in this time zone. Silicon Valley and Hollywood are key players in technology, entertainment and trade, driving a significant economic activity. The schedules of major West Coast stock exchanges and international shipping ports run on this time zone, so it’s crucial to global commerce.

Alaska Time Zone (AKT)

The Alaska Time Zone is unique in that it encompasses the entire state of Alaska with the exception of the Aleutian Islands, which lie within the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone. During Standard Time, it is UTC-9, and during Daylight Saving Time, it is UTC-8. This time zone includes Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. Because of Alaska’s high latitude, the state has sharp changes in the length of daylight, with almost daylight almost year-round in summer and winter darkness. The Alaska Time Zone is also important in the fishing, oil, and tourism industries that help power the economy of the state.

Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone (HAT)

The Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone includes Hawaii and a portion of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Hawaii does not observe daylight saving time and is on UTC-10 hours throughout the year. Some of the major cities in this time zone include Honolulu and Midway Atoll. Hawaii doesn’t change its clock because it is near the equator and there is little variation in daylight hours. This time zone is important for the military, aviation, and tourism because Hawaii is a critical hub for Pacific operations.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) and Its Impact

Most of the United States observes Daylight Saving Time, with the exceptions of Hawaii and most of Arizona. In the United States, DST starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The point of DST is to extend daylight hours in the evening, thus reducing energy consumption and facilitating more economic and recreational activities. DST has, however, been the subject of the debate, with some states considering legislation to do away with the practice altogether following reports of its harmful health effects and its ability to disrupt people's schedules.

U.S. Territories and Their Time Zones

The U.S. territories also follow distinctly separate time zones. Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are on Atlantic standard time (UTC-4) all year. Samoa Standard Time (UTC -11) is followed by American Samoa, while Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are on Chamorro standard time (UTC +10). These territories don't observe daylight saving time because of their locations.