Current time in Chicago
Live local time, date and time zone information for Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Current time in Chicago
09:12:20
America/Chicago · UTC-05:00
Time zone in Chicago
Chicago is in Illinois, United States and uses the America/Chicago time zone. Chicago observes daylight saving time. It uses Central Standard Time (UTC-06:00) in the standard-time part of the year and Central Daylight Time (UTC-05:00) during summer time.
Sunrise and sunset in Chicago
Sun and clock in Chicago
Chicago sits almost exactly on the meridian its time zone is built around, so the clock and the sun agree here about as closely as they do anywhere: averaged over the year, solar noon falls at 11:51 by the standard clock, within 9 minutes of twelve. Summer time moves that an hour later still, to about 12:51.
Daylight through the year in Chicago
At 41.9°N latitude, Chicago sees its longest day around the June solstice, when the sun is above the horizon for about 15 h 14 m. The shortest day comes six months later at roughly 9 h 8 m, a swing of about 6 h 6 m between midsummer and midwinter.
Mid-latitude cities like Chicago get the full seasonal cycle, with the longest and shortest days 6 h 6 m apart.
On the June solstice the sun rises in Chicago at about 05:15 and sets at about 20:29; on the December solstice it rises at about 07:14 and sets at about 16:22.
When the clocks change in Chicago
Chicago follows the North American rule: clocks go forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November, at 02:00 local time in each zone.
The next two changes in Chicago:
| Date | Change | New offset |
|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2026 | Clocks go back one hour on Nov 1, 2026 at 01:30, moving from UTC-05:00 to UTC-06:00. | UTC-06:00 |
| March 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward one hour on Mar 14, 2027 at 03:15, moving from UTC-06:00 to UTC-05:00. | UTC-05:00 |
Of the cities compared further down this page, New York, London and Sydney do change their clocks, so their difference from Chicago moves by an hour twice a year; Dubai, New Delhi, Singapore and Tokyo do not, so those differences never change.
Calling Chicago from another time zone
A working day of roughly 09:00 to 17:00 in Chicago corresponds to 15:00–23:00 UTC. To find the equivalent window where you are, add your own offset to those hours: somewhere on UTC+00:00 would be looking at 15:00–23:00.
Taking a working day as 09:00 to 17:00 in each place:
- New York’s working day overlaps with Chicago’s for 7 hours, from 09:00 to 16:00 Chicago time.
- London overlaps for only 2 hours, from 09:00 to 11:00 Chicago time — late in the day at one end and early at the other.
- Tokyo has no overlap at all: when it is 09:00 there, it is already 19:00 in Chicago, so a call means an early start or a late finish for someone.
These windows use the offsets in force on 2026-10-09; where one side observes daylight saving and the other does not, they move by an hour twice a year.
Time difference from your location
Chicago is currently on UTC-05:00. Once the page has loaded, this section compares it with the time zone your browser reports.
Chicago compared with other cities
| City | Local time | Date | UTC offset | Difference from Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading… | ||||
Nearby cities
Other places in this directory that keep America/Chicago time: Houston and Dallas. Their clocks match Chicago’s exactly, including any daylight saving change. The nearest listed city on a different zone is Toronto, about 700 km away on America/Toronto, currently 1 h ahead of Chicago.
Time zone rules: IANA tz database release 2026c, applied when this page was generated on 2026-10-09. Sun times: NOAA solar equations for 41.88°N, 87.63°W, flat horizon at sea level.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Chicago in?
Chicago uses the America/Chicago time zone — Central Standard Time, UTC-06:00, moving to Central Daylight Time (UTC-05:00) during summer time.
Does Chicago use daylight saving time?
Chicago observes daylight saving time. It uses Central Standard Time (UTC-06:00) in the standard-time part of the year and Central Daylight Time (UTC-05:00) during summer time.
What is the UTC offset for Chicago?
The standard offset is UTC-06:00, and UTC-05:00 while summer time is in effect. The clock at the top of this page shows the offset that applies right now.
What is the time difference between Chicago and my location?
The section above compares Chicago with your own time zone as detected by your browser, and the table lists the difference against major cities worldwide.