Current time in Raleigh, 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 | 35.78° N, 78.64° W |
Time difference from Raleigh
| 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 |
Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and every other North Carolina city sit together in the Eastern Time Zone.
About time in Raleigh
Raleigh is North Carolina's capital and the seat of Wake County, forming the Research Triangle together with Durham and Chapel Hill. North Carolina is among the Eastern states with no split at all — from the Outer Banks to the Tennessee line every county keeps the same zone, so state agencies, the universities, and Triangle employers coordinate on one clock.
The city's 78.6° W longitude places solar noon close to 12:15 PM EST, about 15 minutes after the clock's noon; sunrise and sunset run correspondingly later than at the coast.
Latitude 35.8° N moderates the seasons: about 9 hours 42 minutes of daylight at the winter solstice, rising to roughly 14 hours 35 minutes in late June, when Raleigh's sun sets around 8:35 PM.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Raleigh in?
Raleigh, North Carolina is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET). It observes EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November.
How far ahead is Raleigh of Los Angeles?
Raleigh runs 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles from January through December, because the Eastern and Pacific zones observe DST over the same period. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Raleigh change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Raleigh's clocks spring forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and fall back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — in 2026, March 8 and November 1. Full dates on the DST page.