Time in Houston, United States 🇺🇸
The current local time in Houston, United States is shown below — the city is in the America/Chicago time zone (UTC -05:00 · CDT).
Houston local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 CDT
Houston 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
- 29.76° N, 95.37° W
- Population
- 2,320,268
- Country
- United States · ISO US
- Dialing code
- +1
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Houston right now
Time difference
Houston 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 07:28 · Sunset 18:45
Day length 11h 16m · twilight and monthly table →
Houston time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Houston overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 09:00 to 12:00 Houston time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Houston | 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
Houston vs. major cities
How far Houston is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Houston, 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 Houston | 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 Houston 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 Houston
The closest places to Houston 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | 240 km (150 mi) west | Same time |
| San Antonio | 300 km (190 mi) west | Same time |
| Dallas | 360 km (220 mi) north | Same time |
| New Orleans | 510 km (320 mi) east | Same time |
| Monterrey · Mexico | 660 km (410 mi) southwest | Same time / −1 h |
| Nashville | 1,070 km (670 mi) northeast | Same time |
| Atlanta | 1,130 km (700 mi) northeast | +1 h |
| Mexico City · Mexico | 1,210 km (750 mi) south | Same time / −1 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Houston.
Clock time vs. sun time in Houston
Houston's standard offset, UTC -06:00, is based on the 90° W meridian; the city itself lies at 95.37° W, 5.4° west of it. In standard time its clocks run about 21 min ahead of the sun, and 1 h 21 min ahead during daylight saving time. Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 12:06 (around 5 November) and 13:32 (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 Houston
- 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 Houston
Houston 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 Houston through the year
The longest day in Houston is 21 June with 14h 3m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 10h 14m. Day length swings by 3 h 50 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 06:21 on 7 June and the latest sunset at 20:27 on 26 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Houston in?
Houston 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 Houston observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Houston 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 Houston?
Around 21 June, with 14h 3m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 10h 14m.
What is the dialing code for Houston?
To call Houston 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 Houston?
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 Houston?
Houston lies at 95.37° W, 5.4° west of the 90° W meridian its UTC -06:00 offset is based on, so its clocks run about 21 min ahead of the sun in standard time and 1 h 21 min ahead in daylight saving time. Solar noon falls between 12:06 and 13:32 through the year instead of around 12:00, and the latest sunset is at 20:27 on 26 June.
What is the nearest city to Houston on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Monterrey, Mexico, about 660 km (410 mi) to the southwest. It is the same time as Houston in January and 1 h behind it in July.
How are dates and times written in Houston?
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 Houston
Everything else we track for Houston: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.