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Time gap

Time differences

Time difference between New York and Chicago

Good time for both on a weekday: 10:00–17:00 in New York = 9:00–16:00 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
  • 1 hourChicago behind New York
  • UTC−5 / UTC−4New York, January / July
  • UTC−6 / UTC−5Chicago, January / July
  • 7 hoursshared 9-to-5 time

How the gap moves through the year

Chicago is 1 hour behind New York for about 12 months of the year.

Chicago and New York show the same clock time for about 0 weeks of the year.

Chicago is 2 hours behind New York 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 New York moves forward), Chicago is 2 hours behind New York.

From the second Sunday in March (when Chicago moves forward), Chicago is 1 hour behind New York.

From the first Sunday in November (when New York falls back), Chicago and New York show the same clock time.

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

New York 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 Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5) and Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

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): New York falls back on Sun 1 November 2026.

Everything on this page also holds if you swap New York for Toronto, Havana, Montreal, Philadelphia or Port-au-Prince, 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 7 hours: 10:00 am–5:00 pm in New York, which is 9:00 am–4:00 pm in Chicago.

July gives exactly the same window.

Across the week

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

Daylight, distance and night calls

New York and Chicago are about 1,150 km (712 miles) apart and 14° of longitude apart, which by the sun alone would be 1 hour.

New York's winter clock sits within 4 minutes of the sun, and Chicago's runs 9 minutes behind the sun.

In mid-January the sun is up in New York from about 7:18 am to 4:52 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 8 hours 30 minutes.

In mid-July the sun is up in New York from about 5:37 am to 8:27 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 14 hours.

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

Common mistakes with New York 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 “EST” all year for New York. In summer the zone is Eastern Daylight Time; calendar apps handle it, but a typed time in an email can be read the wrong way.

Questions

Is Chicago ahead of New York?
Chicago is 1 hour behind New York for most of the year.
What is a good time for a meeting between New York and Chicago?
With 9-to-5 days in both cities, 10:00 am–5:00 pm New York 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 New York and Chicago change?
Yes. Chicago is 1 hour behind New York for about 12 months of the year. Chicago and New York show the same clock time for about 0 weeks of the year. Chicago is 2 hours behind New York for about 0 weeks of the year.

Related time differences

New York 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.