Current time in Rochester, NY
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 | 43.16° N, 77.61° W |
Time difference from Rochester
| 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 |
Every clock in the Eastern Time Zone matches Rochester's, including nearby Buffalo and Albany.
About time in Rochester
Rochester is the seat of Monroe County, on the Genesee River a few miles from the Lake Ontario shore. All of New York State keeps a single clock, so no time boundary comes anywhere near the city — the nearest communities on Central Time lie hundreds of miles away in the Midwest.
At 77.6° W, Rochester lies about two and a half degrees west of the Eastern zone's 75° W reference meridian. Its clocks therefore read roughly 10 minutes ahead of the local sun: solar noon falls near 12:10 PM in winter and 1:10 PM during daylight time.
Sitting above 43° N, Rochester sees one of the wider daylight swings on the East Coast — close to 15¼ hours of sun in late June, with sunsets near 8:50 PM, against barely 9 hours at the winter solstice.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Rochester in?
Rochester, New York is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET): 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 Rochester of Los Angeles?
Rochester stays 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles in every season, since Eastern and Pacific clocks shift for daylight saving on identical dates. See the EST to PST chart.
Does Rochester change clocks for daylight saving time?
Yes. In Rochester clocks spring forward at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and fall back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — March 8 and November 1 in 2026. Full dates on the DST page.