Current time in San Jose, CA
Pacific Time UTC−8 · IANA zone America/Los_Angeles
Time zone details
| Time zone | Pacific Time (PT) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | PST, UTC−8 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | PDT, UTC−7 (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 | 37.34° N, 121.89° W |
Time difference from San Jose
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| New York | +3 h |
| Chicago | +2 h |
| Denver | +1 h |
| Phoenix | +1 / 0 h |
| Anchorage | −1 h |
| Honolulu | −2 / −3 h |
San Jose keeps the same clock as the whole Pacific Time Zone — San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Las Vegas all read identical times.
About time in San Jose
San Jose is the seat of Santa Clara County at the southern end of San Francisco Bay. Founded in 1777 as El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe, it was the first civilian town established in Spanish Alta California, and it hosted California's first state legislature after statehood before the capital moved north.
As the largest city in Silicon Valley, San Jose anchors a workday that is negotiated across zones: engineering teams here routinely schedule around East Coast mornings three hours ahead, and product announcements from the valley are typically stated in Pacific Time first.
At about 37° N, daylight in San Jose runs from roughly nine and a half hours at the December solstice to just under fifteen hours in late June, a moderate swing compared with cities farther north on the same zone like Seattle.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is San Jose in?
San Jose is in the Pacific Time Zone (PT). It observes Pacific Standard Time (PST, UTC−8) in winter and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC−7) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
What is the time difference between San Jose and New York?
New York is 3 hours ahead of San Jose all year, since both cities change to daylight saving time on the same dates. Noon in San Jose is 3:00 PM in New York.
Does San Jose observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks move 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. In 2026 the changes fall on March 8 and November 1.