Do you know the difference between Central Time and Eastern Time? If not, you’re not alone! Many people don’t know the difference, or even that there is a difference. Both time zones are used in the United States, but they have different purposes. Central Time is used in six states: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Eastern Time is used in all other states. This blog post will explain the differences between Central and Eastern Time, so you’ll know which time zone to use when!
What is Central Time?
Central Time is the time zone that is observed in the central United States. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Central Daylight Time (CDT) is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The states that observe Central Time are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Central Time is also observed in some parts of Canada and Mexico.
Central European Time (CET), which is one hour ahead of Central Time, is sometimes used interchangeably with Central Time. However, CET should not be confused with Central African Time (CAT), which is two hours ahead of Central Time.
What is Eastern Time?
Eastern Time is the time zone that covers the easternmost parts of Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Eastern Time is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-5). Eastern Time is sometimes abbreviated as ET or EDT. During Daylight Saving Time (DST), Eastern Time becomes Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), which is four hours behind GMT (GMT-4). Eastern Daylight Time begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November.
Some cities in Eastern Time are New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, and Boston. Eastern Time is also known as Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Difference between Central Time and Eastern Time
- Central Time (CT) is GMT-6, while Eastern Time (ET) is GMT-5. Central Time is one hour behind Eastern Time. Central Daylight Saving Time (CDT) is GMT-5, while Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDT) is GMT-4. Central Daylight Saving Time is one hour behind Eastern Daylight Saving Time. So, when it is 12:00 PM Central Standard Time, it is 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. When it is 1:00 PM Central Daylight Saving Time, it is 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
- During the summer months, Central Time zone residents move their clocks one hour ahead for Central Daylight Saving Time, while Eastern Time zone residents do not change their clocks for Eastern Daylight Saving Timer. Consequently, there are only four US states that are in the Central Standard Time zone all year round: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
- If you live in any of these four states and you want to communicate with someone in another US time zone, you need to be aware of the time difference between Central Standard Time and that other time zone.
Conclusion
The time difference between Central Time and Eastern Time can be confusing for those not familiar with the concept. Hopefully, this article has helped to clear up any confusion about the two time zones.
