Which States Are in the Central Time Zone?
Ten states sit entirely inside Central Time. Another ten split the zone with Eastern or Mountain. The boundary cuts through counties based on where people work, shop, and watch TV, not on tidy longitude lines. Central Standard Time (CST) runs at UTC-6; Central Daylight Time (CDT) shifts to UTC-5 during summer months.
States Fully in the Central Time Zone
These ten states keep Central Time from border to border. No exceptions, no split counties.
| State | Capital | Largest City |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Montgomery | Birmingham |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | Little Rock |
| Illinois | Springfield | Chicago |
| Iowa | Des Moines | Des Moines |
| Louisiana | Baton Rouge | New Orleans |
| Minnesota | St. Paul | Minneapolis |
| Mississippi | Jackson | Jackson |
| Missouri | Jefferson City | Kansas City |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City |
| Wisconsin | Madison | Milwaukee |
States Partially in the Central Time Zone
Ten states have portions that observe Central Time while the rest of the state uses a different zone.
Central and Eastern split:
| State | Central Portion | Eastern Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River (Pensacola, Panama City) | Rest of state (Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville) |
| Indiana | Twelve counties in the northwest and southwest corners (Gary, Evansville area) | Rest of state (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne) |
| Kentucky | Western half (Bowling Green, Owensboro) | Eastern half (Louisville, Lexington) |
| Michigan | Four counties in the Upper Peninsula (Ironwood, Menominee) | Rest of state (Detroit, Grand Rapids) |
| Tennessee | Western and middle (Nashville, Memphis) | Eastern (Knoxville, Chattanooga) |
Central and Mountain split:
| State | Central Portion | Mountain Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas | Most of the state (Wichita, Kansas City) | Western counties (Sheridan, Greeley) |
| Nebraska | Most of the state (Omaha, Lincoln) | Western counties (Scottsbluff, Chadron) |
| North Dakota | Most of the state (Fargo, Bismarck) | Southwestern counties (Williston, Dickinson) |
| South Dakota | Eastern half (Sioux Falls, Rapid City) | Western half (Lead, Spearfish) |
| Texas | Most of the state (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio) | Far west (El Paso, Hudspeth County) |
For the full picture of every state cut by any time zone line, see States Split Between Time Zones.
Major Cities on Central Time
Chicago anchors the zone. Its broadcast reference, "8/7c," sets the standard for national television scheduling. See What Does 8/7c Mean? TV Time Zones Explained.
The largest metro areas on Central Time:
- Chicago, Illinois
- Dallas, Fort Worth, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Austin, Texas
- Nashville, Tennessee
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Kansas City, Missouri
Atlanta sits firmly in the Eastern zone. The five biggest Central cities by population are Chicago, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and St. Louis.
Central Time vs Neighboring Zones
| Comparison | Offset (Standard Time) | Offset (Daylight Time) |
|---|---|---|
| Central vs Eastern | 1 hour behind | 1 hour behind |
| Central vs Mountain | 1 hour ahead | 1 hour ahead |
| Central vs Pacific | 2 hours ahead | 2 hours ahead |
When it is 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, it is 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Mountain, and 10:00 a.m. Pacific. The same relationships hold during daylight time.
Business and Daily Life on Central Time
Standard business hours on Central Time run 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange operates on Central Time. Financial markets in New York open at 8:30 a.m. Central.
National live television events (sports, awards shows, presidential addresses) are scheduled for prime time on the East Coast. That means they air at 7:00 p.m. Central. Hence "8/7c": 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central.
How the Boundary Is Set
The US Department of Transportation holds authority over time zone boundaries under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Counties can petition to move between zones. The DOT decides based on where the area's trade, schools, and broadcasters actually point. Counties along the Central boundary have moved in both directions over the years, most visibly in Indiana but also in Kansas and the Dakotas. A map printed a decade ago may already be slightly wrong at the edges.
For the full history of how US zones developed, see US Time Zones Explained. For the specific story of Indiana's shifting boundaries, see Indiana Time Zone History.
When Do Central Time Zone States Change Their Clocks?
Clocks spring forward on Sunday 08 March 2026 at 2:00 a.m. local time, switching from CST (UTC-6) to CDT (UTC-5). Evening light shifts one hour later. Mornings stay dark for several weeks after the change.
The autumn rollback happens Sunday 01 November 2026 at 2:00 a.m. local time, returning to CST.