Current time in Durham, NC
Eastern Time UTC−5 · IANA zone America/New_York
Time zone details
| Time zone | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 (mid Mar – early Nov) |
| DST clock change | Forward 1 h, 2nd Sunday of March · Back 1 h, 1st Sunday of November |
| Sunrise today | — |
| Sunset today | — |
| Day length | — |
| Coordinates | 35.99° N, 78.90° W |
Time difference from Durham
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| Chicago | −1 h |
| Denver | −2 h |
| Phoenix | −2 / −3 h |
| Los Angeles | −3 h |
| Anchorage | −4 h |
| Honolulu | −5 / −6 h |
Durham keeps time with Raleigh, Greensboro, and the rest of the Eastern Time Zone.
About time in Durham
Durham is the seat of Durham County in North Carolina's Piedmont, twenty-odd miles from Raleigh, and Research Triangle Park — the largest research park in the United States — spreads across the Durham and Wake county line. RTP's labs and their coastal partners work a shared Eastern schedule, three hours ahead of collaborators in California.
Standard time reached this region with the railroads: Durham itself grew up around a depot on the North Carolina Railroad in the 1850s, decades before the 1883 zone system replaced sun-set station clocks.
Durham lies at 78.9° W, so the sun crosses its meridian about 16 minutes after clock noon on standard time; daylight ranges from about 9 hours 40 minutes in late December to 14 hours 35 minutes at midsummer.
Time in cities near Durham
| City | Distance | Local time now |
|---|---|---|
| Raleigh, NC | 21 mi | Eastern Time |
| Greensboro, NC | 50 mi | Eastern Time |
| Charlotte, NC | 121 mi | Eastern Time |
| Richmond, VA | 134 mi | Eastern Time |
| Norfolk, VA | 157 mi | Eastern Time |
| Virginia Beach, VA | 173 mi | Eastern Time |
| Columbia, SC | 183 mi | Eastern Time |
| Charleston, WV | 222 mi | Eastern Time |
More places: all North Carolina cities · Eastern Time Zone · every US city
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Durham in?
Durham, North Carolina is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET), using EST (UTC−5) during standard time and EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday of November.
How far ahead is Durham of Los Angeles?
Durham holds a 3-hour lead over Los Angeles in winter and summer alike, since the Eastern and Pacific zones apply identical daylight saving dates. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Durham change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Durham moves clocks forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — March 8 and November 1 in 2026. Full dates on the DST page.