The Central Time Zone is one of the most widely used time zones in North America. This guide covers what it is, where it applies, how it was created, and how daylight saving affects it.

Table of Contents

Overview of the Central Time Zone

  • The Central Time Zone (CT) is one of the four major U.S. mainland time zones, introduced in the late 1800s.
  • It is UTC-6 during Standard Time (CST) and UTC-5 during Daylight Saving Time (CDT).
  • It was established alongside the Pacific, Mountain, and Eastern Time Zones.

Where Is the Central Time Zone Observed?

In the U.S.

  • Entirely in CT: Minnesota, Louisiana, Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi
  • Partially in CT: Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas
  • Largest city: Chicago, IL (2.7 million residents)
  • Other major cities: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin

In Canada

  • Entire province of Manitoba
  • Parts of Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nunavut

In Other Countries

  • Most of Mexico
  • Central American countries: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica
  • Several Caribbean Islands

Time Structure & Daylight Saving

Time Format UTC Offset Months Used
Central Standard Time (CST) UTC -6 November to March
Central Daylight Time (CDT) UTC -5 March to November

Daylight Saving Time Schedule

  • Begins: Second Sunday in March
  • Ends: First Sunday in November
  • This schedule was adjusted by the Energy Policy Act of 2005

History of the Central Time Zone

  • Before time zones, people set clocks based on the sun’s highest point (solar noon).
  • Every town had slightly different local time, which caused problems with train travel and communication.
  • Railroads introduced over 100 time standards, but this was confusing.
  • On November 18, 1883, four major U.S. time zones were created and telegraph signals were sent to synchronize clocks across cities.

Central Time Beyond the U.S.

  • Canada: Manitoba (entirely), parts of Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Ontario
  • Mexico: Nearly the entire country follows Central Time
  • Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica
  • Caribbean: Observed in select islands

Daylight Saving Exceptions

  • Saskatchewan, Canada does not observe daylight saving time.
  • It remains on CST (UTC -6) all year long.

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