The Texas time zone is primarily Central Time — placing the Lone Star State in the same zone as Chicago, Kansas City, and New Orleans. Consequently, most scheduling, broadcasting, and business coordination in Texas uses Central Time as the default reference. However, El Paso’s Mountain Time creates important exceptions for western Texas that anyone doing business across the state needs to understand. This guide covers the Texas time zone fully — from UTC offsets to daylight saving to global comparisons.
Texas Time Zone Overview
Texas primarily follows the Central Time Zone, which is UTC minus 6 in winter (Central Standard Time) and UTC minus 5 in summer (Central Daylight Time). Furthermore, the Central Time Zone is the second-from-east time zone in the continental United States, placing Texas one hour behind New York and two hours ahead of Los Angeles. As a result, Texas’s Central Time position provides practical scheduling overlap with both US coasts during standard business hours — a distinct advantage for national business operations.
The El Paso Mountain Time Exception
El Paso and surrounding far West Texas counties — including Hudspeth County and parts of Culberson County — follow Mountain Time rather than Central Time. Therefore, El Paso is always exactly one hour behind Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio regardless of the time of year. Mountain Standard Time (MST) is UTC minus 7 in winter and Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) is UTC minus 6 in summer. Furthermore, both zones shift simultaneously during daylight saving transitions, maintaining the constant one-hour gap between El Paso and the rest of Texas year-round.
Texas Time Zone by Major City
- Houston: Central Time Zone (CT)
- Dallas / Fort Worth: Central Time Zone (CT)
- Austin: Central Time Zone (CT) — state capital
- San Antonio: Central Time Zone (CT)
- Lubbock: Central Time Zone (CT)
- Amarillo: Central Time Zone (CT)
- Corpus Christi: Central Time Zone (CT)
- El Paso: Mountain Time Zone (MT) — 1 hour behind all above
- Midland / Odessa: Central Time Zone (CT)
- Waco: Central Time Zone (CT)
Texas Daylight Saving Time 2026
Texas follows US federal daylight saving time rules, shifting clocks twice per year. Clocks spring forward one hour at 2:00 AM on March 8, 2026 — the second Sunday of March. Clocks fall back one hour at 2:00 AM on November 1, 2026 — the first Sunday of November. Furthermore, the Texas Legislature has discussed opting out of daylight saving time permanently, but no change has been enacted as of 2026. As a result, Texas continues following the standard national schedule.
Texas Time Zone vs Global Cities
For international scheduling from Texas, the Central Time Zone is six hours behind London (GMT) in winter and five hours behind during British Summer Time. Texas is seven hours behind Paris and Frankfurt in winter, nine hours behind Dubai, fifteen hours behind Tokyo, and sixteen hours behind Sydney in the Australian summer. Furthermore, Texas Central Time aligns with Mexico City for most of the year with occasional one-hour differences during DST transition periods between the US and Mexican schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is Texas in?
Most of Texas is in the Central Time Zone (CT). Only El Paso and surrounding far West Texas counties follow Mountain Time (MT), one hour behind the rest of the state.
Is Texas in Central Standard Time or Central Daylight Time?
Texas observes Central Standard Time (CST, UTC-6) from November through March and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC-5) from March through November during daylight saving time.
Why is El Paso Texas in a different time zone?
El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone because of its geographic location in the far western corner of Texas, closer to New Mexico than to Houston or Dallas. Its time zone reflects its geographic position rather than its state boundaries.
Does Texas have more than one time zone?
Yes. Texas has two time zones. Central Time covers approximately 94 percent of the state including all major cities. Mountain Time covers El Paso, Hudspeth County, and parts of Culberson County.
What is the UTC offset for Texas?
Most of Texas follows UTC-6 in winter (Central Standard Time) and UTC-5 in summer (Central Daylight Time). El Paso follows UTC-7 in winter (Mountain Standard Time) and UTC-6 in summer (Mountain Daylight Time).
Check the live Texas time right now with our Texas Time Zone Clock tool. You can also read our Texas Time Zone complete guide for more detail. Additionally, our What Time Is It in Texas Right Now guide gives you the live current time.
