Current time in Providence, RI
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 | 41.82° N, 71.41° W |
Time difference from Providence
| 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 |
Providence shares its minute hand with all of the Eastern Time Zone, including Boston 50 miles north and New Haven to the southwest.
About time in Providence
Providence, capital of Rhode Island and the anchor of Providence County, sits at the head of Narragansett Bay. The smallest US state fits entirely — and comfortably — inside the Eastern zone, so every Rhode Island clock reads the same, from the Connecticut line to Block Island.
Rhode Island lawmakers have periodically filed bills to move the state to year-round Atlantic Time, usually conditioned on Massachusetts and other neighbors acting first; none has passed, and the state continues to change clocks on the federal DST dates set by the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
At 71.4° W Providence lies well east of the zone's reference meridian, giving it early sun: summer solstice sunrise comes about 5:10 AM, and total daylight runs from roughly 9 hours 10 minutes in late December to just over 15 hours in late June.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Providence in?
Providence, Rhode Island is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET), observing EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
How far ahead is Providence of Los Angeles?
Providence is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles the whole year; Eastern and Pacific clocks move for daylight saving on the same two Sundays. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Providence change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Providence turns clocks ahead 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, March 8 and November 1. Full dates on the DST page.