Eastern Time Zone (ET)
The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is the most populous time zone in the United States, running along the Atlantic seaboard from Maine to Florida and inland to Ohio, Michigan and most of Indiana. It is home to New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami, which is why national TV schedules, financial markets and federal agencies so often quote times in ET.
| General abbreviation | ET |
|---|---|
| Standard time | EST — Eastern Standard Time, UTC−5 (early November to mid-March) |
| Daylight time | EDT — Eastern Daylight Time, UTC−4 (second Sunday in March to first Sunday in November) |
| IANA identifier | America/New_York (also America/Detroit, America/Indiana/Indianapolis, America/Kentucky/Louisville for local history) |
| Military letter | R (Romeo) for EST, Q (Quebec) for EDT |
States in the Eastern Time Zone
Entirely on Eastern Time (17 states + DC)
Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia.
Partly on Eastern Time (5 states)
- Florida — everything except the western panhandle (roughly west of the Apalachicola River, including Pensacola and Panama City), which is Central. Tallahassee is Eastern.
- Indiana — all but twelve counties: six in the northwest near Chicago (Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton, Jasper, Starke) and six in the southwest around Evansville (Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer, Perry) use Central Time.
- Kentucky — the eastern half, including Louisville, Lexington and Frankfort.
- Michigan — all except four Upper Peninsula counties on the Wisconsin border (Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson, Menominee).
- Tennessee — East Tennessee, including Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities. Nashville and Memphis are Central.
Major cities on Eastern Time
New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Louisville, Knoxville and Richmond.
Eastern Time and the Atlantic zone
East of the Eastern zone lies Atlantic Time (UTC−4), used by Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Because those territories do not observe daylight saving time, they match Eastern Daylight Time in summer and run one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time in winter. More on the territories page.
Eastern time compared with other US zones
The table shows what time it is elsewhere when it is 12:00 PM in the Eastern zone (New York). Differences change during daylight saving time because Arizona and Hawaii keep their clocks fixed. For any other time, use the time zone converter.
| Zone | Winter (Nov–Mar) | Difference | Summer (Mar–Nov) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central (Chicago) | 11:00 AM | 1 h behind | 11:00 AM | 1 h behind |
| Mountain (Denver) | 10:00 AM | 2 h behind | 10:00 AM | 2 h behind |
| Arizona (Phoenix) | 10:00 AM | 2 h behind | 9:00 AM | 3 h behind |
| Pacific (Los Angeles) | 9:00 AM | 3 h behind | 9:00 AM | 3 h behind |
| Alaska (Anchorage) | 8:00 AM | 4 h behind | 8:00 AM | 4 h behind |
| Hawaii (Honolulu) | 7:00 AM | 5 h behind | 6:00 AM | 6 h behind |
| UTC | 5:00 PM | 5 h ahead | 4:00 PM | 4 h ahead |
Right now in the other zones
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is EST?
EST is Eastern Standard Time, UTC−5. It is only correct from early November to mid-March; during daylight saving time the Eastern zone uses EDT (UTC−4). Writing ET avoids the problem because it means whichever one is currently in effect.
How many hours ahead is Eastern Time of Pacific Time?
Eastern Time is always 3 hours ahead of Pacific Time, because both zones switch to daylight saving time on the same dates. 12:00 PM ET is 9:00 AM PT.
Is Eastern Time the same as New York time?
Yes. New York City is the reference city for the Eastern zone (IANA identifier America/New_York), so the current time in New York is the current Eastern Time.
Which states are split between Eastern and Central Time?
Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee each have areas on both Eastern and Central Time. See the states page for where each line runs.
Related guides
- Central Time Zone — the zone immediately to the west.
- Time zone converter & chart — convert any time between US zones for any date.
- US time zones by state — every state, including the thirteen split states.
- Daylight saving time — the second-Sunday-in-March / first-Sunday-in-November rule and its exceptions.
- Time zone abbreviations — ET vs EST vs EDT, and the rest.