Time in Chicago, United States 🇺🇸
The current local time in Chicago, United States is shown below — the city is in the America/Chicago time zone (UTC -05:00 · CDT).
Chicago local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 CDT
Chicago at a glance
- Time zone
America/Chicago· Central Standard Time- UTC offset now
- -05:00 CDT
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC -06:00 / -05:00
- Coordinates
- 41.88° N, 87.63° W
- Population
- 2,693,976
- Country
- United States · ISO US
- Dialing code
- +1
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Chicago right now
Time difference
Chicago is shown here relative to your device's time zone.
Planning a call? Compare hours side by side in the time zone converter.
Upcoming public holidays
- Veterans Day Wed, Nov 11, 2026
- Thanksgiving Day Thu, Nov 26, 2026
- Christmas Day Fri, Dec 25, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 07:11 · Sunset 18:00
Day length 10h 48m · twilight and monthly table →
Chicago time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Chicago overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 09:00 to 12:00 Chicago time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Chicago | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Chicago vs. major cities
How far Chicago is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Chicago, and which hours of a 09:00–17:00 day the two places share. Daylight saving changes are applied automatically.
| City | Difference | At 09:00 in Chicago | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −2 h | 07:00 | 11:00–17:00 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | +2 h | 11:00 | 09:00–15:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Paris · France | +7 h | 16:00 | 09:00–10:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | +7 h | 16:00 | 09:00–10:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +9 h | 18:00 | None |
| Delhi · India | +10:30 h | 19:30 | None |
| Singapore · Singapore | +13 h | 22:00 | None |
| Beijing · China | +13 h | 22:00 | None |
Shared office hours are shown in Chicago time. Compare any set of cities hour by hour in the time zone converter, or pick a slot that suits everyone with the event planner.
Cities near Chicago
The closest places to Chicago among the cities we track, measured in a straight line from the city centre. Some of them keep a different clock, so check the time difference before crossing a border or booking a call.
| City | Distance | Time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 380 km (240 mi) east | +1 h |
| Minneapolis | 570 km (350 mi) northwest | Same time |
| Nashville | 640 km (400 mi) south | Same time |
| Toronto · Canada | 700 km (440 mi) east | +1 h |
| Atlanta | 950 km (590 mi) south | +1 h |
| Washington | 960 km (590 mi) east | +1 h |
| Ottawa · Canada | 1,040 km (640 mi) northeast | +1 h |
| Philadelphia | 1,070 km (660 mi) east | +1 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Chicago.
Clock time vs. sun time in Chicago
Chicago's standard offset, UTC -06:00, is based on the 90° W meridian; the city itself lies at 87.63° W, 2.4° east of it. Its clocks are therefore within 9 minutes of local solar time in standard time (51 min off during daylight saving time). Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 11:35 (around 5 November) and 13:01 (around 12 March) on the clock.
How dates and times are written in Chicago
- Short date
- 10/22/2026 · MM/DD/YYYY
- Long date
- October 22, 2026
- Time
- 3:30 PM · 12-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Sunday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for en-US, United States's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Chicago
Chicago has alternated between UTC -06:00 in standard time and UTC -05:00 in daylight saving time since at least 1970. Clocks currently go forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November, a rule in place since 2007.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 8 March 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -05:00 |
| Sunday, 1 November 2026 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -06:00 |
| Sunday, 14 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -05:00 |
| Sunday, 7 November 2027 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -06:00 |
When clocks go forward, sunrise and sunset both happen an hour later by the clock — darker mornings, lighter evenings — and the night of the change is an hour shorter. When they go back, the reverse applies.
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Chicago through the year
The longest day in Chicago is 21 June with 15h 14m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 9h 8m. Day length swings by 6 h 6 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 05:16 on 8 June and the latest sunset at 20:31 on 27 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Chicago in?
Chicago uses the America/Chicago time zone (CST / CDT): UTC -06:00 in standard time and UTC -05:00 during daylight saving time. United States spans more than one time zone, so other cities in the country may show a different time.
Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Chicago go forward on Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 02:00 and back on Sunday, 1 November 2026 at 02:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Chicago?
Around 21 June, with 15h 14m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 9h 8m.
What is the dialing code for Chicago?
To call Chicago from abroad, dial your international access code, then United States's country code +1, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Chicago?
The standard work week in United States runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
What is the nearest city to Chicago on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Detroit, about 380 km (240 mi) to the east. It is 1 h ahead of Chicago.
How are dates and times written in Chicago?
Following the en-US conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written MM/DD/YYYY (10/22/2026) and times usually use the 12-hour clock (3:30 PM). Calendars start the week on Sunday.
Explore more for Chicago
Everything else we track for Chicago: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.