Time in Detroit, United States 🇺🇸
The current local time in Detroit, United States is shown below — the city is in the America/Detroit time zone (UTC -04:00 · EDT).
Detroit local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 EDT
Detroit at a glance
- Time zone
America/Detroit· Eastern Daylight Time- UTC offset now
- -04:00 EDT
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC -05:00 / -04:00
- Coordinates
- 42.33° N, 83.05° W
- Population
- 639,111
- Country
- United States · ISO US
- Dialing code
- +1
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Detroit right now
Time difference
Detroit 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 07:54 · Sunset 18:41
Day length 10h 47m · twilight and monthly table →
Detroit time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Detroit overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 09:00 to 13:00 Detroit time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Detroit | 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 | 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 | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Detroit vs. major cities
How far Detroit is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Detroit, 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 Detroit | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −3 h | 06:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
| Paris · France | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +8 h | 17:00 | None |
| Delhi · India | +9:30 h | 18:30 | None |
| Singapore · Singapore | +12 h | 21:00 | None |
| Beijing · China | +12 h | 21:00 | None |
Shared office hours are shown in Detroit 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 Detroit
The closest places to Detroit 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto · Canada | 330 km (210 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Chicago | 380 km (240 mi) west | −1 h |
| Washington | 630 km (390 mi) southeast | Same time |
| Ottawa · Canada | 680 km (420 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Philadelphia | 710 km (440 mi) east | Same time |
| Nashville | 760 km (470 mi) southwest | −1 h |
| New York | 770 km (480 mi) east | Same time |
| Montréal · Canada | 840 km (520 mi) northeast | Same time |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Detroit.
Clock time vs. sun time in Detroit
Detroit's standard offset, UTC -05:00, is based on the 75° W meridian; the city itself lies at 83.05° W, 8.0° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 32 min ahead of the sun, and 1 h 32 min ahead during daylight saving time. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 12:17 (around 5 November) and 13:43 (around 12 March) on the clock. Mornings stay dark later and evenings stay light longer than the clock suggests.
How dates and times are written in Detroit
- 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 Detroit
Since 1970, Detroit has gone through 2 distinct time-keeping periods, observing daylight saving time in 54 of 57 years. The current pattern, in place since 1973, is UTC -05:00 with UTC -04:00 in daylight saving time. 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 -04:00 |
| Sunday, 1 November 2026 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -05:00 |
| Sunday, 14 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -04:00 |
| Sunday, 7 November 2027 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -05:00 |
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.
Time zone history since 1970 (2 periods)
| Years | Offset | Daylight saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1972 | UTC -05:00 all year | No daylight saving time |
| 1973–2026 | UTC -05:00, DST UTC -04:00 | Forward on the second Sunday in March, back on the first Sunday in November (since 2007) |
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Detroit through the year
The longest day in Detroit is 21 June with 15h 17m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 9h 5m. Day length swings by 6 h 12 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 05:56 on 9 June and the latest sunset at 21:14 on 24 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Detroit in?
Detroit uses the America/Detroit time zone (EST / EDT): UTC -05:00 in standard time and UTC -04:00 during daylight saving time. United States spans more than one time zone, so other cities in the country may show a different time.
Does Detroit observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Detroit 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 Detroit?
Around 21 June, with 15h 17m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 9h 5m.
What is the dialing code for Detroit?
To call Detroit 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 Detroit?
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.
Why is sunset so late in Detroit?
Detroit lies at 83.05° W, 8.0° west of the 75° W meridian its UTC -05:00 offset is based on, so its clocks run about 32 min ahead of the sun in standard time and 1 h 32 min ahead in daylight saving time. Solar noon falls between 12:17 and 13:43 through the year instead of around 12:00, and the latest sunset is at 21:14 on 24 June.
What is the nearest city to Detroit on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Chicago, about 380 km (240 mi) to the west. It is 1 h behind Detroit.
How are dates and times written in Detroit?
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 Detroit
Everything else we track for Detroit: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.