Eastern Time (ET)
Atlanta operates on Eastern Time (ET). Atlanta observes Daylight Saving Time, springing forward one hour in March and falling back in November. During DST, the abbreviation changes to reflect the shift.
Time Zone: Eastern Time (ET) — Standard Offset: UTC-5 (EST) — DST Offset: UTC-4 (EDT)
Country: United States
This city observes Daylight Saving Time, so the UTC offset changes twice per year. Always verify the current offset when scheduling across time zones.
Atlanta operates on Eastern Time, shared with New York, Miami, and the Eastern Seaboard. As the undisputed business capital of the American Southeast, Atlanta is home to 16 Fortune 500 companies including Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Home Depot, and Southern Company. The city's ET alignment with Wall Street means real-time coordination with New York financial markets is seamless.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic for over two decades. UPS's second-largest air hub and major highway/rail intersections make Atlanta a logistics powerhouse. All operations run on Eastern Time, and the city's position in the southeastern US makes ET the natural time zone for supply chain coordination across the Sun Belt.
Georgia observes DST from the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday of November, like all Eastern Time states. The shift from EST (UTC-5) to EDT (UTC-4) happens simultaneously with New York and the rest of the Eastern zone, maintaining constant alignment. Atlanta to London is 5 hours during winter and 4 hours during both DST periods' overlap.
Atlanta has become a major entertainment hub, often called the Hollywood of the South. Film and TV production (much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is filmed in Atlanta) operates on ET. The city's music industry — particularly hip-hop and R&B — has global reach, with release schedules and live events timed to Eastern Time. CNN, headquartered in Atlanta, broadcasts on ET from its global headquarters.