How to convert Pacific Time to Central Time
- Type the time in California, Washington or Oregon, and pick the date.
- From is Pacific Time (Los Angeles, Vancouver) and To is Central Time (Chicago, Dallas).
- Read the Central time. From 10 pm Pacific onwards, it’s already the next day in Chicago.
Pacific to Central time table
Every 3 hours. The same on July 15, 2026 (PDT to CDT) and January 15, 2026 (PST to CST).
| Los Angeles | Chicago |
|---|---|
| 12:00 am | 2:00 am |
| 3:00 am | 5:00 am |
| 6:00 am | 8:00 am |
| 9:00 am | 11:00 am |
| 12:00 pm | 2:00 pm |
| 3:00 pm | 5:00 pm |
| 6:00 pm | 8:00 pm |
| 9:00 pm | 11:00 pm |
Planning across the two zones
The West Coast starts its day when Central offices are already two hours in. A 9 to 5 day in Los Angeles runs from 11 am to 7 pm Central, so the shared window is 9 am to 3 pm Pacific. Meetings booked from California for 4 pm Pacific land at 6 pm in Chicago, after most people there have left.
For flights, the 2 hours are added to the local arrival time going east and taken off going west. A 3 hour 45 minute flight leaving Los Angeles at 1 pm lands in Chicago at 6:45 pm local time, while the same flight time from Chicago at 1 pm lands in Los Angeles at 2:45 pm.