Current time in Houston, TX
Central Time UTC−6 · IANA zone America/Chicago
Time zone details
| Time zone | Central Time (CT) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | CST, UTC−6 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | CDT, UTC−5 (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 | 29.76° N, 95.37° W |
Time difference from Houston
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| New York | +1 h |
| Denver | −1 h |
| Phoenix | −1 / −2 h |
| Los Angeles | −2 h |
| Anchorage | −3 h |
| Honolulu | −4 / −5 h |
Houston is synchronized with the entire Central Time Zone: San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans, and Chicago all show the same hour.
About time in Houston
Houston, the seat of Harris County, anchors the Central zone's Gulf Coast: the Port of Houston handles more foreign waterborne tonnage than any other US port, and its vessel movements, pilot boardings, and terminal gate hours are all published in Central Time.
At NASA's Johnson Space Center, timekeeping is a daily translation exercise — the International Space Station runs on GMT (UTC), so flight controllers in Houston constantly convert between the station's clock and their own CT shift schedules.
At under 30° north, Houston has one of the gentler daylight swings among big Central cities: about 14 hours at the June solstice and a bit over 10 hours in late December.
Time in cities near Houston
| City | Distance | Local time now |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | 146 mi | Central Time |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 183 mi | Central Time |
| San Antonio, TX | 189 mi | Central Time |
| Shreveport, LA | 214 mi | Central Time |
| Dallas, TX | 225 mi | Central Time |
| Arlington, TX | 230 mi | Central Time |
| Fort Worth, TX | 237 mi | Central Time |
| Plano, TX | 238 mi | Central Time |
More places: all Texas cities · Central Time Zone · every US city
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Houston in?
Houston is in the Central Time Zone (CT), running Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
How many hours ahead of Los Angeles is Houston?
Houston is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles in every season — Central and Pacific clocks spring forward and fall back on the same dates, so the difference stays constant.
Does Houston observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Houston 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. In 2026 that is March 8 and November 1.