Central Time (CT)
Chicago operates on Central Time (CT). Chicago 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: Central Time (CT) — Standard Offset: UTC-6 (CST) — DST Offset: UTC-5 (CDT)
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.
Chicago anchors the Central Time Zone, which covers more US states than any other time zone — from Texas to Minnesota, Wisconsin to Louisiana. Roughly 29% of the US population lives in the Central zone, making it the second-most populous after Eastern. Central Time's position between the coasts makes it a natural meeting ground — a 10 AM CT meeting is 11 AM in New York and 8 AM in Los Angeles, keeping everyone within normal business hours.
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) make Chicago the global center for commodities and derivatives trading. The CME's electronic trading platform, Globex, operates nearly 24 hours, but pit trading and core electronic hours revolve around Central Time. Agricultural futures, interest rate products, and equity index futures worth trillions of dollars are priced in CT. If you work in commodities, you think in Central Time.
Chicago observes DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, shifting from CST (UTC-6) to CDT (UTC-5). The 1-hour gap with the East Coast and 1-hour lead over Mountain Time remain constant throughout the year. Chicago's central position means it maintains a manageable time difference with both coasts — never more than 2 hours from either New York or Denver.
Chicago's time zone advantage for domestic scheduling is significant. Central Time allows comfortable overlap with both coasts — meetings scheduled between 10 AM and 3 PM CT fall within standard business hours for New York (11 AM - 4 PM ET) and Los Angeles (8 AM - 1 PM PT). For international calls, Chicago to London has a 6-hour gap (5 during BST), making afternoon CT calls viable for London's late business hours.