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Central Time Now (CT)

The current Central time, covering the middle third of the country.

Central Time covers the middle of the country, from the Gulf coast up through the Great Plains. It runs at UTC−06:00 as CST and UTC−05:00 as CDT during daylight saving, one hour behind Eastern throughout the year.

The widest zone by state count

Central takes in Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota and more than a dozen others, and several states are split between Central and a neighbouring zone along county lines. The full list is in Central time zone states.

Guides about Central Time

States & territories Central Time Zone States: The Full List and the Split Edges Ten states sit entirely in the Central Time zone and ten more sit partly in it. Here is the full list, the CST and CDT offsets, and where each boundary falls. 5 min read

More ustime.now pages

US Time Now The current time in all six US time zones at once, with offsets and dates. Eastern Time The current Eastern time, whether that is EST or EDT right now. Mountain Time The current Mountain time — and how Arizona differs from the rest of the zone. Pacific Time The current Pacific time, three hours behind the east coast. Alaska & Hawaii Time The current time in Alaska and Hawaii — the two zones people forget when scheduling. Daylight Saving Dates When the clocks next change, calculated from the current federal rule.

Frequently asked questions

Is Central time one or two hours behind Eastern?
One hour, always. Both zones shift for daylight saving on the same dates, so the gap never changes.
Which large cities are on Central time?
Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Nashville among many others.