Skip to content
Time gap

Time differences

Time difference between Chicago and Phoenix

Good time for both on a weekday: 10:00–17:00 in Chicago = 9:00–16:00 in Phoenix.

 

 

 

  • Everyone at work
  • Work hours
  • Awake
  • Night
  • Weekend

Tap any column to see that moment in every city.

Different hours for each city
  • 1–2 hoursPhoenix behind Chicago
  • UTC−6 / UTC−5Chicago, January / July
  • UTC−7Phoenix, January and July
  • 7 hours / 6 hoursshared 9-to-5 time, January / July

How the gap moves through the year

Phoenix is 2 hours behind Chicago for about 8 months of the year.

Phoenix is 1 hour behind Chicago for about 4 months of the year.

From the second Sunday in March (when Chicago moves forward), Phoenix is 2 hours behind Chicago.

From the first Sunday in November (when Chicago falls back), Phoenix is 1 hour behind Chicago.

Chicago moves its clocks forward one hour on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 am local time and back on the first Sunday in November at 2:00 am, switching between Central Standard Time (UTC−6) and Central Daylight Time (UTC−5).

Phoenix does not change its clocks: it stays on UTC−7 (Mountain Standard Time) all year.

Next clock change for this pair, as of when this page was built (2026-10-20): Chicago falls back on Sun 1 November 2026.

Everything on this page also holds if you swap Chicago for Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin or Winnipeg — those cities follow exactly the same clock all year.

Working hours that overlap

In January, a 9-to-5 day in both cities shares 7 hours: 10:00 am–5:00 pm in Chicago, which is 9:00 am–4:00 pm in Phoenix.

In July, a 9-to-5 day in both cities shares 6 hours: 11:00 am–5:00 pm in Chicago, which is 9:00 am–3:00 pm in Phoenix.

Across the week

At 9:00 on a Monday morning in Chicago, it is 8:00 am on Monday in Phoenix.

Daylight, distance and night calls

Chicago and Phoenix are about 2,330 km (1,450 miles) apart and 24° of longitude apart, which by the sun alone would be 1 hour 30 minutes.

Chicago's winter clock runs 9 minutes behind the sun, and Phoenix's runs 28 minutes ahead of the sun.

In mid-January the sun is up in Chicago from about 7:16 am to 4:43 pm, and the sun is up in Phoenix from about 7:32 am to 5:42 pm; both cities are in daylight at the same time for about 8 hours 15 minutes.

In mid-July the sun is up in Chicago from about 5:28 am to 8:25 pm, and the sun is up in Phoenix from about 5:29 am to 7:39 pm; both cities are in daylight at the same time for about 13 hours.

Hour-by-hour table and common mistakes — 2 more sections
Each hour in Chicago and the same moment in Phoenix, on a Wednesday in January and in July. Shaded: inside 9-to-5 in both.
ChicagoPhoenix, JanuaryPhoenix, July
12:00 am11:00 pm (−1 day)10:00 pm (−1 day)
1:00 am12:00 am11:00 pm (−1 day)
2:00 am1:00 am12:00 am
3:00 am2:00 am1:00 am
4:00 am3:00 am2:00 am
5:00 am4:00 am3:00 am
6:00 am5:00 am4:00 am
7:00 am6:00 am5:00 am
8:00 am7:00 am6:00 am
9:00 am8:00 am7:00 am
10:00 am9:00 am8:00 am
11:00 am10:00 am9:00 am
12:00 pm11:00 am10:00 am
1:00 pm12:00 pm11:00 am
2:00 pm1:00 pm12:00 pm
3:00 pm2:00 pm1:00 pm
4:00 pm3:00 pm2:00 pm
5:00 pm4:00 pm3:00 pm
6:00 pm5:00 pm4:00 pm
7:00 pm6:00 pm5:00 pm
8:00 pm7:00 pm6:00 pm
9:00 pm8:00 pm7:00 pm
10:00 pm9:00 pm8:00 pm
11:00 pm10:00 pm9:00 pm

Common mistakes with Chicago and Phoenix

  • Forgetting that the gap changes even though Phoenix never touches its clocks: Chicago does, so a meeting fixed in Phoenix time moves by an hour for people in Chicago.
  • Writing “CST” all year for Chicago. In summer the zone is Central Daylight Time; calendar apps handle it, but a typed time in an email can be read the wrong way.

Questions

Is Phoenix ahead of Chicago?
Phoenix is 1 hour behind Chicago in January and 2 hours behind Chicago in July.
What is a good time for a meeting between Chicago and Phoenix?
With 9-to-5 days in both cities, 10:00 am–5:00 pm Chicago time is inside working hours in both, which gives 7 hours. The window can shift by an hour in the weeks when only one city has changed its clocks.
Does the time difference between Chicago and Phoenix change?
Yes. Phoenix is 2 hours behind Chicago for about 8 months of the year. Phoenix is 1 hour behind Chicago for about 4 months of the year.

Related time differences

Chicago time zone · Phoenix time zone · Plan with more cities

City names, coordinates and time zone assignments: GeoNames, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (selection and renaming of some cities by this site). Clock times are computed in your browser from the IANA time zone database. Sources and limits.