Current time in Louisville, KY
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 | 38.25° N, 85.76° W |
Time difference from Louisville
| 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 |
Louisville keeps Eastern Time Zone hours with Cincinnati and Lexington, while Nashville and western Kentucky sit an hour behind on Central.
About time in Louisville
Louisville is the seat of Jefferson County on the Ohio River. For most of its history the city kept Central Time, and it moved to Eastern only in 1961 as its commercial orbit shifted toward the East Coast.
Kentucky remains a genuinely split state: Louisville, Lexington, and the eastern half observe ET, while Bowling Green, Owensboro, and Paducah in the west are on CT, the boundary snaking through the middle of the state near Lake Cumberland.
The southern Indiana suburbs across the river — Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties — also keep Eastern Time, so the entire Louisville metro reads one clock despite straddling a state line.
Time in cities near Louisville
| City | Distance | Local time now |
|---|---|---|
| Lexington, KY | 70 mi | Eastern Time |
| Cincinnati, OH | 89 mi | Eastern Time |
| Indianapolis, IN | 107 mi | Eastern Time |
| Nashville, TN | 155 mi | Central Time |
| Knoxville, TN | 188 mi | Eastern Time |
| Columbus, OH | 189 mi | Eastern Time |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 198 mi | Eastern Time |
| Charleston, WV | 224 mi | Eastern Time |
More places: all Kentucky cities · Eastern Time Zone · every US city
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Louisville in?
Louisville is on Eastern Time (EST, UTC−5 in winter; EDT, UTC−4 in summer). Kentucky is a split state: its eastern half, including Louisville and Lexington, is ET, while the western half is on Central Time.
Is Louisville on the same time as New York or Chicago?
Louisville matches New York exactly, year-round. Chicago is always one hour behind Louisville, as are Bowling Green and Paducah in western Kentucky.
Does Louisville observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Louisville turns clocks forward at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — in 2026, March 8 and November 1. Full dates on the DST page.