Chicago is in Illinois
Population: 2,664,452
The live clock at the top of this page shows the current local time in Chicago, United States. Right now, Chicago uses Central Standard Time (CST) | UTC-6, and the display updates automatically.
Chicago uses Central Standard Time (CST) | UTC-6. During standard time, the city uses Central Standard Time (CST) | UTC-6. During daylight saving time, it uses Central Daylight Time (CDT) | UTC-5. The IANA timezone identifier is America/Chicago.
The current UTC offset for Chicago is shown as CST | UTC-6. If the city observes daylight saving time, this offset can change during the year.
CST is the short label for the current local timezone used in Chicago. The full timezone label and UTC offset are shown on this page so you do not have to rely on the abbreviation alone.
No, Chicago is not on Daylight Saving Time today, but this location observes Daylight Saving Time seasonally. It is currently using Central Standard Time (CST) | UTC-6.
Chicago has clock changes in 2026: March 8, 2026 at 3:00 AM local time and November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM local time. The next clock change is on March 14, 2027 at 3:00 AM local time. Use the live clock on this page for the current abbreviation and UTC offset.
The time difference depends on your own timezone and the date. Use the live comparison tools on findtime.io to compare your location with Chicago; the result will account for daylight saving time and the selected meeting date.
For most business calls, aim for 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Chicago, using Central Standard Time (CST) | UTC-6. The findtime.io meeting planner shows overlap between your working hours and Chicago working hours and adjusts for Daylight Saving Time on the selected date.
Use the findtime.io time converter, enter the time in Chicago, then choose the comparison city. The converter uses Central Standard Time (CST) | UTC-6 and applies the correct Daylight Saving Time rule for the selected date.
Chicago changes offset when daylight saving time starts or ends. That is why the same city can use one UTC offset during standard time and another during daylight time.