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Time gap

Time differences

Time difference between Los Angeles and Chicago

Good time for both on a weekday: 9:00–15:00 in Los Angeles = 11:00–17:00 in Chicago.

 

 

 

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

Tap any column to see that moment in every city.

Different hours for each city
  • 2 hoursChicago ahead of Los Angeles
  • UTC−8 / UTC−7Los Angeles, January / July
  • UTC−6 / UTC−5Chicago, January / July
  • 6 hoursshared 9-to-5 time

How the gap moves through the year

Chicago is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles for about 12 months of the year.

Chicago is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles for about 0 weeks of the year.

Chicago is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles for about 0 weeks of the year.

The short odd stretches come from the two cities changing their clocks on different weekends.

From the second Sunday in March (when Chicago moves forward), Chicago is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles.

From the second Sunday in March (when Los Angeles moves forward), Chicago is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles.

From the first Sunday in November (when Chicago falls back), Chicago is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles.

From the first Sunday in November (when Los Angeles falls back), Chicago is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles 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 Pacific Standard Time (UTC−8) and Pacific Daylight Time (UTC−7).

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).

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 Los Angeles for Tijuana, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle or Las Vegas, or 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 6 hours: 9:00 am–3:00 pm in Los Angeles, which is 11:00 am–5:00 pm in Chicago.

July gives exactly the same window.

Across the week

At 9:00 on a Monday morning in Los Angeles, it is 11:00 am on Monday in Chicago.

Daylight, distance and night calls

Los Angeles and Chicago are about 2,800 km (1,740 miles) apart and 31° of longitude apart, which by the sun alone would be 2 hours.

Los Angeles's winter clock sits within 7 minutes of the sun, and Chicago's runs 9 minutes behind the sun.

In mid-January the sun is up in Los Angeles from about 6:58 am to 5:05 pm, and the sun is up in Chicago from about 7:16 am to 4:43 pm; both cities are in daylight at the same time for about 7 hours 45 minutes.

In mid-July the sun is up in Los Angeles from about 5:52 am to 8:05 pm, and the sun is up in Chicago from about 5:28 am to 8:25 pm; both cities are in daylight at the same time for about 12 hours 30 minutes.

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

Common mistakes with Los Angeles and Chicago

  • Assuming the gap is fixed. Both cities change their clocks, but not on the same weekend, so a recurring meeting can land an hour off for a few weeks.
  • Writing “PST” all year for Los Angeles. In summer the zone is Pacific Daylight Time; calendar apps handle it, but a typed time in an email can be read the wrong way.

Questions

Is Chicago ahead of Los Angeles?
Chicago is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles for most of the year.
What is a good time for a meeting between Los Angeles and Chicago?
With 9-to-5 days in both cities, 9:00 am–3:00 pm Los Angeles time is inside working hours in both, which gives 6 hours. The window can shift by an hour in the weeks when only one city has changed its clocks.
Does the time difference between Los Angeles and Chicago change?
Yes. Chicago is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles for about 12 months of the year. Chicago is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles for about 0 weeks of the year. Chicago is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles for about 0 weeks of the year.

Related time differences

Los Angeles time zone · Chicago 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.