Current time in Boston, MA
Eastern Time UTC−5 · IANA zone America/New_York
Time zone details
| Time zone | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 (mid Mar – early Nov) |
| DST clock change | Forward 1 h, 2nd Sunday of March · Back 1 h, 1st Sunday of November |
| Sunrise today | — |
| Sunset today | — |
| Day length | — |
| Coordinates | 42.36° N, 71.06° W |
Time difference from Boston
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| Chicago | −1 h |
| Denver | −2 h |
| Phoenix | −2 / −3 h |
| Los Angeles | −3 h |
| Anchorage | −4 h |
| Honolulu | −5 / −6 h |
Boston keeps step with every city in the Eastern Time Zone, from Providence next door to Jacksonville a thousand miles south.
About time in Boston
Boston, the Massachusetts capital and Suffolk County seat, is the easternmost major city on US Eastern Time. Lying at 71° W — four degrees east of the zone's 75° W meridian — it experiences the sun about 16 minutes earlier than the clock suggests: mid-June sunrises arrive shortly after 5:00 AM, and at the December solstice the sun is down before 4:15 PM, earlier than in any other large ET city.
Those early winter sunsets are why a 2017 Massachusetts state commission studied moving the Commonwealth to year-round Atlantic Standard Time (UTC−4). The report recommended acting only alongside neighboring states, and no change was made, so Boston still shifts its clocks on the national DST dates.
Boston's financial firms work to the New York Stock Exchange's 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET session, and Logan Airport publishes all schedules in local Eastern Time. Day length at 42.4° N runs from about 9 hours in late December to 15¼ hours in late June.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Boston in?
Boston is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET), on EST (UTC−5) during standard time and EDT (UTC−4) between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November.
How far ahead is Boston of Los Angeles?
Boston is 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles at all times of year, since the two coasts begin and end daylight saving time on the same dates. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Boston change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Boston sets clocks forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — March 8 and November 1 in 2026. Full dates on the DST page.