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Central Standard Time (CST)

Also known as: Central Time (CT) and Central Daylight Time (CDT)

Time zone map of CST
Currently observing CST.
Areas with same time currently (UTC -6).
Currently observing CST – Central Standard Time.
Currently has same time zone offset as CST (UTC -6) but different time zone name.

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

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:

Canadian provinces using CST all year:

Mexican states using CST in the winter and CDT in the summer:

Central America

Central American countries using CST all year:

Other Central Standard Time Zones

Time zones can have similar names and abbreviations but have a different UTC offset:

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: