Also known as: Central Time (CT) and Central Daylight Time (CDT)
Caution: This is NOT the current local time in most locations in that time zone
North America: Only some locations are currently on CST because most places in this time zone are currently on summer time / daylight saving time and are observing CDT.
Central Standard Time (CST) is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This time zone is in use during standard time in: North America, Central America.
See full time zone map
What Is Central Standard Time?
Central Standard Time (CST) is the second easternmost time zone in the United States and is also used in Canada.
It covers all or parts of 20 states in the US and three provinces or territories in Canada. It is also used in Mexico and Central America.
About a third of the population in the USA live in the CST time zone. It spans from northern Canada and all the way south to Costa Rica near the equator.
In North America, Central Standard Time shares a border with Eastern Standard Time (EST) in the east and with Mountain Standard Time (MST) in the west.
Central Standard Time Zone
Central Standard Time (CST) is a standard time zone in use from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March—when Daylight Saving Time (DST) is not in effect. Central Daylight Time (CDT) is used during the remainder of the year.
CST Is the Central Time Zone
In everyday usage, CST is often referred to as Central Time (CT) or the Central Time Zone. This can add a bit of confusion as the term Central Time does not differentiate between standard time and Daylight Saving Time, so Central Time switches between CST and CDT in areas that use DST during part of the year.
Most North American time zones also have generic terms, including Pacific Time (PT), Mountain Time (MT), Eastern Time (ET), and Atlantic Time (AT).
Converting Central Time to Other US Time Zones
- Central Standard Time (CST) is 1 hour behind Eastern Standard Time (EST).
To convert CST to EST, you have to add one hour. - Central Standard Time (CST) is 1 hour ahead of Mountain Standard Time (MST).
To convert CST to MST, you have to subtract one hour. - Central Standard Time (CST) is 2 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST).
To convert CST to PST, you have to subtract two hours.
Time Zone Converter: UTC to CST
Where and When is CST Observed?
North America
US states using CST in the winter and CDT in the summer:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida - North-West parts Show
Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties and norther Gulf county
- Illinois
- Indiana - these few north-western counties near Chicago (Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Jasper, Starke) and these south-western counties in Indiana near Evansville Show
Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Perry, Spencer
- Iowa
- Kansas - except these western counties Show
Greeley, Hamilton, Sherman and Wallace - MST/MDT
- Kentucky - Western part Show
Adair, Allen, Ballard, Barren, Breckinridge, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Green, Hansock, Hart, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, McLean, Metcalfe, Monroe, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Russell, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren and Webster counties
- Louisiana
- Michigan - A few western counties Show
Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron, and Menominee
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska - Eastern parts Show
All except Arthur, Banner, Box Butte, Chase, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Dundy, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Keith, Kimball, Morrill, Perkins, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux counties and the western part of Cherry county which are on MST/MDT
- North Dakota - North and Eastern parts Show
counties of Barnes, Benson, Bottineau, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier, Dickey, Divide, Eddy, Emmons, Foster, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, Lamoure, Logan, McHenry, McIntosh, McLean, Mountrail, Nelson, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Renville, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sheridan, Steele, Stutsman, Towner, Traill, Walsh, Ward, Wells, Williams and northern parts of McKenzie and Dunn, westernmost part of Morton and Fort Yates in Sioux
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota - Eastern parts Show
counties of Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Codington, Davison, Day, Deuel, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Mellette, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Sanborn, Sully, Todd, Tripp, Turner, Union, Yankton, Walworth and eastern parts of Stanley
- Tennessee - Western part Show
counties of Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Clay, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Davidson, Decatur, DeKalb, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Grundy, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, McNairy, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Obion, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Tipton, Trusdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne Weakley, White, Willamson, Wilson
- Texas - All, but a few counties in west Show
El Paso and Hudspeth and part of Culberson
- Wisconsin
Canadian provinces using CST in the winter and CDT in the summer:
- Manitoba
- Ontario - most parts west of 90 West. (Parts east of 90 West is on EST/EDT)
- Saskatchewan - only Creighton and Denare Beach
Canadian provinces using CST all year:
- Ontario - a few communities Show
Atikokan, New Osnaburgh, Pickle Lake
- Saskatchewan - most of it Show
except Creighton and Denare Beach which use CDT during summer, and Lloydminster which is in the MST/MDT zone
Mexican states using CST in the winter and CDT in the summer:
- Nuevo León
- Tamaulipas
Central America
Central American countries using CST all year:
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
Other Central Standard Time Zones
Time zones can have similar names and abbreviations but have a different UTC offset:
- Australian Central Standard Time (ACST): UTC +9:30
- Australian Central Western Standard Time (ACWST): UTC +8:45
- Central European Time (CET): UTC +1
- Central Africa Time (CAT): UTC +2
- Central Indonesian Time (WITA): UTC +2
Other Time Zones in UTC -6
Some time zones exist that have the same offset as CST, but can be found under a different name:
- EAST – Easter Island Standard Time
- GALT – Galapagos Time
- MDT – Mountain Daylight Time
- S – Sierra Time Zone
