Phoenix is a bit of a rebel. While almost every other city in the United States spent the last few decades obsessively "springing forward" and "falling back," the time zone in Phoenix stayed exactly where it was. It’s Mountain Standard Time (MST). All year. Every single day. No exceptions.
If you've ever tried to schedule a Zoom call with someone in Scottsdale while you’re sitting in a New York office, you know the headache. One month you’re two hours apart, and suddenly, you’re three. It’s not that Phoenix moved. It’s that everyone else did. Arizona basically looked at the concept of Daylight Saving Time (DST) back in the late sixties and said, "No thanks, we're good."
Actually, they said more than that. They realized that in a place where the sun is trying to kill you for four months of the year, nobody wants an extra hour of daylight in the evening.
The Heat Factor: Why Phoenix Opted Out
Let’s be real. If you live in Phoenix, the sun is not your friend in July. Most people in the Northern Hemisphere equate "more daylight" with "more fun." They think of backyard BBQs and late-evening walks. In the Valley of the Sun, more daylight just means your air conditioner has to work harder for longer.
Back in 1968, the Arizona State Legislature officially decided to opt out of the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The logic was incredibly practical. If Phoenix shifted its clocks forward, the sun wouldn’t set until nearly 9:00 PM in the middle of summer. That sounds nice on paper until you realize the temperature is still 110 degrees at 8:00 PM. By keeping the time zone in Phoenix on Standard Time, the sun sets "early" relative to the rest of the country, allowing the desert floor to start cooling off just a little bit sooner.
It’s a massive energy saver. Think about the cost of cooling a 2,000-square-foot home when the sun is beating down on the roof for an extra hour of peak activity. It adds up to millions of dollars across the state.
A Quick History Lesson
Arizona actually tried Daylight Saving Time for one year in 1967. It was a disaster. People hated it. Parents were worried about kids waiting for buses in the pitch black of morning, and businesses realized that the extra heat was driving customers away from evening shopping. Since then, the only part of the state that observes DST is the Navajo Nation in the northeastern corner, mostly because their land spans into Utah and New Mexico, and they need to stay synced up for schools and government offices. The Hopi Reservation, which is entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation, stays on Phoenix time. It’s a literal donut of time zones.
👉 See also: Sleeping With Your Neighbor: Why It Is More Complicated Than You Think
Moving Targets: How Phoenix Aligns with Other Cities
This is where the confusion usually starts for travelers and remote workers. Because the time zone in Phoenix never moves, its relationship with other major cities is constantly shifting.
During the winter (roughly November to March), Phoenix is on the same time as Denver and Salt Lake City. You’re in the Mountain Time Zone, and everything is simple.
Then March hits.
When the rest of the country moves their clocks forward, Phoenix effectively "aligns" with the Pacific Time Zone. For about eight months of the year, Phoenix has the exact same time as Los Angeles and Seattle. You become a West Coast city by default.
- New York (Eastern Time): In the winter, you are 2 hours behind them. In the summer, you are 3 hours behind.
- Chicago (Central Time): In the winter, you are 1 hour behind. In the summer, you are 2 hours behind.
- London (GMT): This one is a nightmare. The gap shifts from 7 hours to 8 hours depending on when the UK toggles their British Summer Time.
Honestly, it’s a mess for your Google Calendar. If you’re setting up an invite, always, always select "Arizona Time" specifically rather than "Mountain Time." If you just pick "Mountain Time," the software might assume you’re following the Denver schedule and shift your 10:00 AM meeting to 9:00 AM once the clocks change.
The Mental Toll of Constant Recalculation
You’d think we’d get used to it. We don't.
✨ Don't miss: At Home French Manicure: Why Yours Looks Cheap and How to Fix It
Even long-term residents find themselves doing "time zone math" every time they call their parents back East. You have to remember if the "change" has happened yet. It usually happens on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.
There’s also the weirdness of live television. If you’re a sports fan in Phoenix, your favorite Sunday Night Football game might start at 6:30 PM in the fall, but during the early season, it feels like it’s on way earlier. Local news stations have to juggle their entire prime-time lineups twice a year to accommodate the networks.
Does it actually help the economy?
Some argue that being "out of sync" hurts business. When the East Coast is finishing their workday at 5:00 PM, it’s only 2:00 PM in Phoenix during the summer. You lose three hours of collaboration time. However, the hospitality industry in Phoenix loves the current setup. Tourists coming from the midwest or east coast find that they wake up naturally at 5:00 AM or 6:00 AM due to the time difference, which is the perfect time to get a round of golf in before the triple-digit heat kicks in.
Common Myths About Phoenix Time
A lot of people think Arizona is "behind the times" or just being stubborn. It’s not about being stubborn; it’s about survival in a desert climate.
Another myth is that the whole state is the same. As mentioned, the Navajo Nation is the outlier. If you’re driving from Phoenix to the Antelope Canyon or the Four Corners area, you might actually lose or gain an hour just by crossing a tribal boundary. It’s the only place in the US where you can experience that kind of "time travel" without crossing a state line.
- Myth: Phoenix is always on Pacific Time.
- Reality: Only in the summer. In the winter, it’s an hour ahead of LA.
- Myth: Arizona is the only state that doesn't observe DST.
- Reality: Hawaii also opts out. They’re even further removed from the mainland cycle, staying on Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time all year.
- Myth: This makes the sun rise earlier.
- Reality: The sun rises when it wants. The clock just tells us what to call that moment. In Phoenix, a June sunrise can happen as early as 5:18 AM.
Navigating Phoenix Time: Practical Tips for 2026
Since we’re living in a world of automated devices, most of your tech should handle the time zone in Phoenix just fine. Your iPhone or Android uses GPS to see you’re in the Valley and will keep the clock steady while your friends in New York are complaining about losing an hour of sleep.
🔗 Read more: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Menu: Why You’re Probably Ordering Wrong
But technology isn't perfect.
If you are traveling to Phoenix, especially during the transition weeks in March or November, double-check your flight itineraries. Airlines always list the local time. If your flight leaves Phoenix at 8:00 AM, it’s 8:00 AM Arizona time, regardless of what time it is where you started.
Actionable Steps for Remote Workers and Travelers
If you manage a team or have a life that crosses state lines, do these three things to keep your sanity:
- Set a World Clock Widget: Add "Phoenix" and "New York" (or your primary contact city) to your phone's home screen. Seeing them side-by-side stops you from making that 6:00 AM wake-up call to a client by mistake.
- Use "Phoenix" in Calendar Apps: Never select "MST" or "Mountain Standard Time" manually. Software often bundles MST with states that do observe DST. Search for "Phoenix" or "Arizona" in the time zone settings to lock it in.
- The "Rule of Three": In the summer (March-Nov), just remember the number 3. You are 3 hours behind the East Coast. In the winter, remember 2. It's a simple mental toggle that covers 90% of your interactions.
The time zone in Phoenix is a quirk of geography and climate. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the standard way of doing things doesn’t make sense for everyone. While the rest of the country fumbles with their stove clocks and feels groggy for a week every March, Phoenix residents just keep enjoying their early sunsets and slightly lower electric bills.
If you’re moving here or just visiting, embrace the static nature of the clock. It’s one less thing to worry about in a world that’s always changing. Just don't forget to check the time before you call home.