Chicago to Los Angeles
-2hChicago
CDTSOURCELos Angeles
PDTGreen rows indicate typical business hours (9 AM - 5 PM)
CDT and PDT on the World Map
The map below highlights the CDT (Central Standard Time) and PDT (Pacific Standard Time) timezone regions across the globe.
CST – Central Standard Time
UTC-06:00Central Standard Time (CST) is the time zone for the central United States, Canada, and Mexico, 6 hours behind UTC.
- •CST covers 20 US states fully or partially.
- •Chicago and Houston are the two largest cities in the Central Time Zone.
- •Mexico City, one of the world's most populous cities, operates on CST.
- •CST is 1 hour behind EST and 2 hours ahead of PST.
PST – Pacific Standard Time
UTC-08:00Pacific Standard Time (PST) is the time zone for the US and Canadian Pacific coast, 8 hours behind UTC.
- •Silicon Valley and the world's biggest tech companies operate on Pacific Time.
- •The Hollywood film industry runs on PST/PDT.
- •PST is 3 hours behind EST, creating a significant business hours gap.
- •Vancouver, Canada's third-largest city, uses PST.
About Chicago
WikipediaChicago operates on Central Time (CST/CDT), 1 hour behind New York. Home to CME and CBOE, Chicago is a global center for derivatives trading.
The Chicago Board of Trade is the world's oldest futures and options exchange.
About Los Angeles
WikipediaLos Angeles operates on Pacific Time (PST/PDT), 3 hours behind New York. As the entertainment capital, LA time is important for media and tech industries.
Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, home to Hollywood and major film studios.
Time Conversion Guide: Chicago to Los Angeles
Chicago runs on Central Daylight Time (CDT) at UTC-05:00, currently observing daylight saving time. Los Angeles runs on Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) at UTC-07:00, also currently on daylight saving time. That puts Chicago 2 hours behind Los Angeles — a difference of -2h at the current offsets.
In practice, when it is 9:00 AM in Chicago it is 7:00 AM in Los Angeles. Midnight in Chicago is 10:00 PM in Los Angeles. Because both zones shift for daylight saving, the gap between them only changes during the few weeks each year when their transition dates differ.
Chicago to Los Angeles time conversion table
| Chicago (CDT) | Los Angeles (PDT) | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 10:00 PM | previous day |
| 6:00 AM | 4:00 AM | same day |
| 7:00 AM | 5:00 AM | same day |
| 8:00 AM | 6:00 AM | same day |
| 9:00 AM | 7:00 AM | same day |
| 12:00 PM | 10:00 AM | same day |
| 3:00 PM | 1:00 PM | same day |
| 5:00 PM | 3:00 PM | same day |
| 6:00 PM | 4:00 PM | same day |
| 9:00 PM | 7:00 PM | same day |
Why people convert Chicago to Los Angeles time
- Scheduling a call from Chicago to Los Angeles: a 10:00 AM start in Chicago lands at 8:00 AM in Los Angeles, so you can confirm the slot without doing the arithmetic yourself.
- Finding shared working hours: both Chicago and Los Angeles are inside the 9-to-5 working day between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM CDT time (9:00 AM–3:00 PM PDT). That is roughly 6 hours of usable overlap.
- Keeping family and friends in sync: knowing that 8:00 PM in Chicago is 6:00 PM in Los Angeles makes it easy to avoid calling at 3 AM.
- Always state the zone abbreviation, not just the hour. "3:00 PM CDT" is unambiguous; "3 PM" across a -2h gap is not.
- Block 11:00 AM–5:00 PM CDT as the recurring meeting window if you work primarily from Chicago and need Los Angeles colleagues present.
- Chicago: Clocks fall back on Sun, Nov 1, 2026. Re-check this page after that date because the offset changes and so does the -2h gap.
- Los Angeles: Clocks fall back on Sun, Nov 1, 2026. Any meeting series spanning that date will shift by an hour in local time.
About CST (Central Standard Time)
Central Standard Time (CST) covers the central region of North America. It is the second most populous time zone in the US, including major cities like Chicago, Houston, and Dallas. CST is also used in Mexico City and much of Central America including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. During summer, most of the US and Canada switch to Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-05:00), while Mexico and Central American countries generally remain on CST.
About PST (Pacific Standard Time)
Pacific Standard Time (PST) covers the west coast of North America, including tech hubs like San Francisco and Seattle, and entertainment capital Los Angeles. The Pacific Time Zone is home to Silicon Valley and the world's largest technology companies. During summer, clocks advance to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC-07:00). PST is also observed in Baja California, Mexico.
Best time to call between Chicago and Los Angeles
Both Chicago and Los Angeles sit inside the 9 AM – 5 PM working day between 11:00 AM–5:00 PM CDT, which is 9:00 AM–3:00 PM PDT. That gives roughly 6 hours of shared time — the safest window for a live call or meeting.
Business hours overlap
Chicago and Los Angeles share 6 hours of working-hours overlap (11:00 AM–5:00 PM CDT), so scheduling a live meeting is straightforward.
Chicago is 2 hours behind Los Angeles (CDT UTC-05:00 → PDT UTC-07:00). The shared working window is 11:00 AM–5:00 PM CDT. Remember to re-check around daylight-saving transitions.
🕐 Daylight Saving Time Info
Chicago
☀ Currently in DST
Standard: UTC-06:00 · DST: UTC-05:00
Clocks fall back on Sun, Nov 1, 2026
Los Angeles
☀ Currently in DST
Standard: UTC-08:00 · DST: UTC-07:00
Clocks fall back on Sun, Nov 1, 2026
Learn More About Time
Dive deeper into the fascinating world of timekeeping, time zones, and how they shape our global society:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time difference between Chicago and Los Angeles?
Chicago (CDT, UTC-05:00) is 2 hours behind Los Angeles (PDT, UTC-07:00). The gap is currently -2h.
How do I convert Chicago time to Los Angeles time?
Add -2h to Chicago local time. For example, 9:00 AM in Chicago is 7:00 AM in Los Angeles.
What time is it in Los Angeles right now?
Los Angeles uses PDT at UTC-07:00. Use the live converter at the top of this page — it updates in real time and already accounts for the -2h offset from Chicago.
What is the best time to call Los Angeles from Chicago?
Call between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM CDT — that maps to 9:00 AM–3:00 PM PDT and keeps both parties inside the working day.
Which is behind, Chicago or Los Angeles?
Chicago is 2 hours behind Los Angeles. When it is 12:00 PM in Chicago it is 10:00 AM in Los Angeles.
Do Chicago and Los Angeles use different time zones?
Chicago (USA) uses CDT at UTC-05:00, while Los Angeles (USA) uses PDT at UTC-07:00. The IANA identifiers are America/Chicago and America/Los_Angeles.
Does daylight saving time affect the Chicago–Los Angeles difference?
Both zones observe DST, so the difference stays at -2h for most of the year and only changes during the weeks when their transition dates do not line up.
Which other cities share Chicago's time zone?
CDT also covers Chicago, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Mexico City, Austin, Winnipeg, Memphis and 6 more.
Which countries use CDT, Chicago's zone?
CDT is used in United States (Central), Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan), Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and 1 more.
Is there a day difference between Chicago and Los Angeles?
Not normally. The -2h gap only pushes the date over the previous day.
What is the time difference between Chicago and Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is -2h from Chicago.
What timezone is Chicago in?
Chicago operates on Central Time (CST/CDT), 1 hour behind New York. Home to CME and CBOE, Chicago is a global center for derivatives trading.
What timezone is Los Angeles in?
Los Angeles operates on Pacific Time (PST/PDT), 3 hours behind New York. As the entertainment capital, LA time is important for media and tech industries.
What are the business hours in Chicago?
Standard business hours in Chicago are 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CST.
What are the business hours in Los Angeles?
Standard business hours in Los Angeles are 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM PST.
What is the best time to schedule a call between Chicago and Los Angeles?
The best overlap for a call is when both cities are in business hours. Chicago works 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM CST and Los Angeles works 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM PST (-2h difference). Try scheduling during the overlapping window for maximum convenience.
How do Chicago and Los Angeles compare in size?
Chicago has a population of approximately 2.7 million (metro: 9.5 million), while Los Angeles has approximately 4 million (metro: 13.2 million).
What are the major landmarks in Chicago and Los Angeles?
Chicago is known for Willis Tower, Millennium Park, Cloud Gate (The Bean). Los Angeles is famous for Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, Griffith Observatory.
Do Chicago and Los Angeles have stock exchanges?
Yes. Chicago has the CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), CBOE and Los Angeles has the N/A (Uses NYSE/NASDAQ). The -2h time difference affects trading hour overlaps between these exchanges.
Which countries use CST (Central Standard Time)?
CST is used in United States (Central), Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan), Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and 3 more countries.
Does CST observe daylight saving time?
Yes, CST switches to CDT during summer months.
What are some interesting facts about CST?
CST covers 20 US states fully or partially. Chicago and Houston are the two largest cities in the Central Time Zone.
Which cities are in the PST timezone?
Major cities in the PST timezone include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego, Portland, Las Vegas, Sacramento.
What is the UTC offset for PST?
Pacific Standard Time (PST) is at UTC-08:00. During daylight saving time, it shifts to PDT.
What should I know about the PST timezone?
Silicon Valley and the world's biggest tech companies operate on Pacific Time. The Hollywood film industry runs on PST/PDT.
When is it midnight in Chicago, what time is it in Los Angeles?
When it is 12:00 AM (midnight) in Chicago (CST), it is -2h later in Los Angeles (PST).
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