Current time in Madison, WI
Central Time UTC−6 · IANA zone America/Chicago
Time zone details
| Time zone | Central Time (CT) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | CST, UTC−6 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | CDT, UTC−5 (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 | 43.07° N, 89.40° W |
Time difference from Madison
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| New York | +1 h |
| Denver | −1 h |
| Phoenix | −1 / −2 h |
| Los Angeles | −2 h |
| Anchorage | −3 h |
| Honolulu | −4 / −5 h |
Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago all belong to the Central Time Zone and never differ by a minute.
About time in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin's capital and the seat of Dane County, sits at 89.4° W — within half a degree of the 90° W meridian on which Central Standard Time is based. Its clocks therefore track the sun about as faithfully as anywhere in the country, with solar noon barely two minutes off 12:00 CST.
The Capitol on the isthmus, the University of Wisconsin, and the rest of the state all share one Central clock, so Madison never differs from Milwaukee, Green Bay, or Superior at the far northwest corner.
June solstice sunsets in Madison come around 8:40 PM CDT, and the December low point still delivers close to 9 hours of daylight at the city's 43° N latitude.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Madison in?
Madison, Wisconsin runs on Central Time: CST (UTC−6) in winter and CDT (UTC−5) between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November.
How far behind New York is Madison?
Madison trails New York by exactly 1 hour in every season, since the Central and Eastern zones switch to daylight saving time simultaneously. See the CST to EST chart.
Does Madison observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Madison advances clocks at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and sets them back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — in 2026, March 8 and November 1. Full dates on the DST page.