New York Time: Current NYC Time Zone & World Comparisons

New York City runs on Eastern Time (ET), the most populous and economically influential time zone in the United States. Depending on the time of year, New York observes one of two offsets:

New York City is the most important reference point for the Eastern Time Zone. As home to Wall Street, the United Nations headquarters, and one of the world's busiest airports (JFK), knowing the current New York time is critical for finance, diplomacy, and travel coordination worldwide.

The Eastern Time Zone stretches across the entire eastern seaboard of the United States, covering major cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, and Indianapolis. In total, roughly 210 million Americans — about 47% of the US population — live in the Eastern Time Zone.

When it is noon (12:00 PM) in New York:

• It is 11:00 AM in Chicago (Central Time, 1 hour behind)
• It is 10:00 AM in Denver (Mountain Time, 2 hours behind)
• It is 9:00 AM in Los Angeles (Pacific Time, 3 hours behind)
• It is 8:00 AM in Anchorage (Alaska Time, 4 hours behind)
• It is 7:00 AM in Honolulu (Hawaii Time, 5 hours behind)

For a live display of the current New York time alongside other cities, visit the World Clock. To see how New York time compares to all US time zones, our full guide covers every zone.

New York's Eastern Time is one of the most-used international reference points. When scheduling international meetings, it helps to know the fixed offset between New York and key global cities. Note that offsets can shift by 1–2 hours during DST transition weeks when not all countries switch on the same date.

New York (EDT, UTC−4) vs. world cities — Summer hours:

New York (EST, UTC−5) vs. world cities — Winter hours:

One important note for US–UK scheduling: New York and London are always 5 hours apart for most of the year, because both observe DST, but on slightly different schedules. In late March and late October, there is a brief 1–2 week window when the gap is 4 or 6 hours. Visit time in London for a detailed breakdown of the London–NYC offset.

If you work across New York, London, and Tokyo time zones, you already know how narrow the overlap windows can be. This 24-hour comparison table shows all three cities simultaneously, making it easy to find the best meeting times.

Three-city comparison: New York (EDT, UTC−4) | London (BST, UTC+1) | Tokyo (JST, UTC+9) — Summer hours:

The NYC–London sweet spot is 8:00 AM–12:00 PM New York time (1:00 PM–5:00 PM London). This 4-hour daily window is when financial markets in both cities are simultaneously open and most professionals are available.

The NYC–Tokyo overlap is extremely limited: Tokyo's business day (9 AM–6 PM JST) falls between 8 PM and 5 AM New York time. The only practical window is catching Tokyo just as their day starts (~7:00–9:00 AM Tokyo = ~6:00–8:00 PM EST the previous day in NYC). For current Tokyo time, check time in Tokyo.

New York is the undisputed financial capital of the world, home to the two largest stock exchanges by market capitalization. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ are both located in Manhattan and operate on Eastern Time.

NYSE and NASDAQ Official Hours:

The 9:30 AM ET opening bell is one of the most important daily moments in global finance. The first 30 minutes of trading (9:30–10:00 AM ET) and the last 30 minutes (3:30–4:00 PM ET) are historically the most volatile and highest-volume periods.

The London–New York overlap window — when both the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and NYSE are simultaneously trading — runs from 9:30 AM to approximately 11:30 AM ET (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM London time, after which London closes at 4:30 PM BST / 3:30 PM GMT). This 2-hour window sees the highest global trading volume of any point in the day.

For investors tracking both markets, a world clock tool showing both Eastern Time and London time simultaneously is invaluable. The LSE opens at 8:00 AM GMT — which is 3:00 AM ET during winter — meaning European markets have a head start each morning.

Beyond finance, knowing New York time is essential for navigating the city's transportation and entertainment schedule. NYC operates 24/7 but has specific peak times that affect travel planning.

JFK International Airport (JFK): John F. Kennedy International Airport is New York's primary international gateway, located in Queens approximately 15–16 miles from Midtown Manhattan. The journey takes 45–75 minutes by taxi/rideshare or 50–60 minutes via the AirTrain + subway combination. JFK has no curfew and operates around the clock, with peak international arrivals typically occurring in the 6:00–10:00 AM ET window (overnight transatlantic flights from Europe) and 4:00–8:00 PM ET (transpacific arrivals from Asia).

LaGuardia Airport (LGA): LaGuardia handles primarily domestic traffic and some Canadian flights. It is closer to Manhattan (~8 miles) but notoriously congested. There is a FAA-mandated curfew that limits scheduled operations between midnight and 6:00 AM ET.

New York City Subway: The NYC Subway is one of the few metro systems in the world that runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no last train to catch. However, overnight service (roughly 1:00–5:00 AM ET) is less frequent — trains may run every 15–30 minutes instead of the typical 2–10 minute daytime intervals.

Broadway Show Times: Broadway performances follow a consistent schedule:

For visitors flying into New York from the West Coast, keep in mind the 3-hour jet lag from Pacific Time. A Los Angeles to New York flight takes approximately 5 hours, but you arrive in Eastern Time, which may feel like early morning even if the local clock says afternoon.