Current time in Memphis, TN
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 | 35.15° N, 90.05° W |
Time difference from Memphis
| 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 |
Memphis keeps clock company with the whole Central Time Zone — Nashville, St. Louis, Jackson, and Chicago among them.
About time in Memphis
Memphis, the seat of Shelby County, sits on the Chickasaw Bluffs above the Mississippi River; West Memphis, Arkansas on the opposite bank keeps the same Central clock.
Tennessee is a split state: Memphis and Nashville run on Central Time while Knoxville and Chattanooga are Eastern, the boundary lying at the Marion County line near Nickajack in the state's southeast — so a Memphis-to-Knoxville drive loses an hour without ever leaving Tennessee.
The clock that arguably matters most here belongs to FedEx: the company's World Hub at Memphis International Airport sorts overnight packages in the small hours of Central Time, and package cutoff times across the country trace back to that Memphis sort window.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Memphis in?
Memphis is in the Central Time Zone (CT), observing Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−6) in winter and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−5) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
How many hours ahead of Los Angeles is Memphis?
Memphis is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles all year round; the Central and Pacific zones change clocks for daylight saving time on the same dates, so the gap never varies.
Does Memphis change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. Memphis springs forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and falls back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November. In 2026 the dates are March 8 and November 1.