How Eastern and Central time line up
Subtract one hour from the Eastern time to get Central time. Common conversions:
- 9:00 AM Eastern is 8:00 AM Central.
- 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern is 11:00 AM Central.
- 2:30 PM Eastern is 1:30 PM Central.
- 5:00 PM Eastern is 4:00 PM Central.
- 8:00 PM Eastern is 7:00 PM Central.
- 12:00 AM (midnight) Eastern is 11:00 PM Central, the evening before.
States that sit on the line
The border between the two zones runs through several states. Most of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee east of Nashville is on Eastern Time, but western Kentucky, western and middle Tennessee and a few Indiana counties near Chicago and Evansville use Central Time.
Florida is mostly Eastern, except the Panhandle west of the Apalachicola River, which uses Central Time. Michigan is Eastern apart from four counties that border Wisconsin.
Scheduling across the two zones
With only an hour between them, the zones share most of the workday. 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern is 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Central. Watch the very start and end of the day: a 9:00 AM Eastern call is 8:00 AM in Chicago or Dallas.
EST, EDT, CST and CDT
EST and CST are used in winter. From mid-March to early November the zones use EDT and CDT, one hour later. Right now the clocks show EDT and CDT.
Questions and answers
What is 12 PM Eastern in Central time?
12:00 PM, noon, Eastern is 11:00 AM Central.
What is 8 PM ET in CT?
8:00 PM Eastern Time is 7:00 PM Central Time.
Is Texas on Central Time?
Most of Texas is on Central Time, including Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. El Paso and the far western corner of the state use Mountain Time.
Is Nashville on Eastern or Central time?
Nashville is on Central Time. Knoxville and Chattanooga in eastern Tennessee are on Eastern Time.
Do Eastern and Central time change on the same day?
Yes. Both move forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and back one hour on the first Sunday in November, so the one hour gap never changes.