CalendarHours
Home / Time Zones / U.S. Time Zones / Mississippi
Mississippi • Live Time-Zone Reference

Mississippi Time Zone

Mississippi uses Central Time (CT) statewide. Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Meridian, Tupelo and all 82 Mississippi counties share the same official civil time. Mississippi uses CST at UTC−06:00 during standard time and CDT at UTC−05:00 during daylight saving time.

Quick answer: Mississippi has one time zone and no internal time-zone boundary. Use America/Chicago for date-aware software calculations. The entire state currently observes daylight saving time and changes clocks together in March and November.
Time zones1Central Time statewide
Standard timeCSTUTC−06:00
Daylight timeCDTUTC−05:00
Mississippi Time Zone at a Glance Current Time in Mississippi Mississippi on the U.S. Time Zone Map
Search a Mississippi city, Central Time abbreviation, UTC offset, related state or time-zone tool.
Popular: U.S. Time Zones Central Time CST CDT Mississippi Time Now U.S. Time Zone Map Daylight Saving Time

Mississippi Time Zone at a Glance

Mississippi is a one-zone state, but the abbreviation and UTC offset change seasonally because daylight saving time is currently observed.

CT

Central Time in Mississippi

The entire state follows Central Time, including all 82 counties and every major Mississippi city.

Central Time details → CST

Central Standard Time

Mississippi uses CST at UTC−06:00 during the standard-time portion of the year.

See CST time now → CDT

Central Daylight Time

Mississippi uses CDT at UTC−05:00 while daylight saving time is in effect.

See CDT time now → DST

Mississippi Daylight Saving Time

Mississippi currently changes clocks in March and November under the U.S. DST schedule.

See DST rules → ◷

Current Time in Mississippi

Use the statewide current-time page for the live Mississippi clock, current date and city comparisons.

See Mississippi time now → ⇄

Mississippi Time Converter

Convert Mississippi time to another U.S. or world location for a specific date and time.

Convert Mississippi time →

Mississippi Time Zone by Major City

Every major Mississippi city shares the same Central Time clock. Current abbreviations and UTC offsets below update automatically with the date.

Current time across Mississippi →
Mississippi LocationCurrent TimeCurrent AbbreviationCurrent UTC OffsetReference
Jackson · Hinds CountyLive——Mississippi time now
Gulfport · Harrison CountyLive——Gulf Coast reference
Southaven · DeSoto CountyLive——North Mississippi reference
Hattiesburg · Forrest CountyLive——Pine Belt reference
Biloxi · Harrison CountyLive——Gulf Coast reference
Meridian · Lauderdale CountyLive——East Mississippi reference
Tupelo · Lee CountyLive——Northeast Mississippi reference
Vicksburg · Warren CountyLive——Mississippi River reference
Central Time Zone Current Time in Mississippi U.S. Time Zone Map

Mississippi Time-Zone Guides & Related References

Continue with the Central Time family, official related state references, Mississippi current time and visual U.S. time-zone geography.

All U.S. time zones →
Statewide zoneCentral TimeThe time zone used throughout Mississippi.→ Standard timeCSTUTC−06:00 during standard time.→ Daylight timeCDTUTC−05:00 while DST is active.→ Official related stateMissouriAnother statewide Central Time reference.→ Official related stateMinnesotaAnother statewide Central Time reference.→ Live statewide timeCurrent Time in MississippiCurrent Mississippi clock, date and city comparisons.→ Visual referenceU.S. Time Zone MapMississippi map intent consolidates here.→ Zone mapCentral Time Zone MapSee Mississippi inside the broader Central Time region.→ Seasonal rulesDaylight Saving TimeCurrent U.S. clock-change dates and rules.→ Conversion toolTime Zone ConverterConvert Mississippi time by date and location.→ Offset referenceUTC OffsetsUnderstand UTC−06 and UTC−05.→ U.S. directoryU.S. Time ZonesAll state references and major U.S. zones.→
One Mississippi Clock

Mississippi Central Time & UTC Now

Mississippi has one statewide civil time, but its UTC offset changes seasonally. The live cards compare Mississippi with UTC and New York while keeping the state's current CST/CDT status date-aware.

Central Time CST CDT UTC Offsets Time Zone Difference
Mississippi · Central TimeLive timeAmerica/Chicago · current abbreviation and offset
New York · Eastern TimeLive timeNormally one hour ahead of Mississippi.
UTC ReferenceLive timeCoordinated Universal Time · UTC+00:00
Mississippi Counties82Every county uses Central Time.

Mississippi UTC Offset & Regional Reference

Mississippi has no regional UTC-offset split. Every city and county changes together between CST at UTC−06:00 and CDT at UTC−05:00.

Explore UTC offsets →
Mississippi AreaIANA ZoneCurrent TimeCurrent UTC OffsetSeasonal Rule
Jackson / Central MississippiAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Gulfport & Biloxi / Gulf CoastAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Southaven / North MississippiAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Hattiesburg / Pine BeltAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Meridian / East MississippiAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05
Greenville / Mississippi DeltaAmerica/ChicagoLive—CST UTC−06 → CDT UTC−05

Mississippi Borders & Time-Zone Changes

You do not change clocks at any immediate Mississippi land border. Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama use Central Time along Mississippi, and the Tennessee counties directly north of Mississippi are on Tennessee's Central Time side. Tennessee's Eastern Time area begins farther east.

Alabama Time Zone Tennessee Time Zone U.S. Time Zone Map Time Zone Difference

Mississippi Standard Time vs Daylight Time

Mississippi currently observes the U.S. daylight-saving schedule. The entire state changes clocks together because there is no internal time-zone boundary.

Daylight Saving Time guide →
Mississippi ZoneStandard TimeStandard OffsetDaylight TimeDaylight Offset
Central Time · entire stateCSTUTC−06:00CDTUTC−05:00
Mississippi DST Rules When DST Starts When DST Ends DST by State

Compare Mississippi Central Time

Compare Mississippi with New York, Los Angeles, London or another location. The live comparison uses current civil-time rules rather than assuming a fixed year-round difference.

Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Live time
Current abbreviation and UTC offset
Open Full Converter Time Zone Difference

How Mississippi Time Works

Six facts explain nearly every Mississippi time-zone question, from statewide Central Time to Gulf Coast clocks, borders and permanent-DST law.

01 · Statewide

Mississippi Has One Time Zone

The entire state uses Central Time. There is no Eastern, Mountain or Pacific Time area inside Mississippi.

02 · Counties

All 82 Counties Share One Clock

Every Mississippi county follows the same official Central Time and daylight-saving rules.

03 · Capital

Jackson Uses the Statewide Clock

Jackson is in Central Time and follows the same CST/CDT schedule as every other Mississippi community.

04 · Gulf Coast

Biloxi & Gulfport Match Jackson

The Mississippi Gulf Coast uses the same Central Time clock as Jackson, the Delta and north Mississippi.

05 · IANA

Use America/Chicago

America/Chicago is the correct date-aware IANA zone for current and future Mississippi civil-time calculations.

06 · Law

Permanent DST Is Conditional

Mississippi law would adopt daylight saving time year-round only if federal law is amended to permit states to do so.

Does All of Mississippi Have the Same Time?

Yes. Mississippi uses Central Time statewide. All 82 counties—from DeSoto County near Memphis to Harrison and Jackson counties on the Gulf Coast—share the same official civil-time rules. Jackson, Biloxi, Gulfport, Tupelo, Meridian, Vicksburg and Greenville therefore switch between CST and CDT together.

82 countiesEvery Mississippi county follows the same official Central Time rules.
No in-state zone lineYou never change official time zones simply by traveling between Mississippi communities.
One seasonal switchWhen Mississippi moves between CST and CDT, the entire state changes together.
Current Time in MississippiCentral Time Zone

Does Mississippi Have Permanent Daylight Saving Time?

Not yet. Mississippi enacted its own Sunshine Protection Act in 2021. Mississippi Code §3-3-63 says daylight saving time will become the year-round standard time of Mississippi and its political subdivisions if Congress amends federal law to authorize states to observe daylight saving time year-round.

That federal trigger has not occurred as of August 20, 2026. Mississippi therefore continues to use CST during standard time and CDT during daylight saving time, with the normal spring-forward and fall-back clock changes. The state law is conditional, not a current exemption from seasonal DST rules.

Daylight Saving Time Is Daylight Saving Time Ending? Central Time Zone Time Zone Chart
Visual Geography

Mississippi on the U.S. Time Zone Map

Mississippi sits entirely inside Central Time. Because there is no internal time-zone boundary, the U.S. and Central Time maps are the most useful visual references for seeing how Mississippi aligns with Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama and western Tennessee.

U.S. Time Zone Map Central Time Zone Map World Time Zone Map

Looking for the Current Time in Mississippi?

This page explains Mississippi's time zone, UTC offsets, abbreviations and DST. If your main question is what time it is in Mississippi right now, use the statewide current-time page.

Statewide current timeCurrent Time in Mississippi
Statewide zoneCentral Time Zone
Standard timeCST Time Now
Daylight timeCDT Time Now

Sources & Methodology

CalendarHours uses location-aware, date-aware time-zone logic rather than permanently hardcoding Mississippi as UTC−6 or UTC−5. America/Chicago supplies the Central Time rules used throughout the state.

The IANA Time Zone Database is the primary rules source for civil offsets and transitions. The latest release verified for this page is tzdb 2026c, released July 8, 2026. U.S. daylight-saving dates are checked against NIST. Mississippi's 82-county geography is checked against state resources, and the conditional permanent-DST law is checked against the Mississippi Legislature's 2021 summary and Mississippi Code §3-3-63.

IANA — Time Zone Database NIST — Daylight Saving Time Rules Mississippi Secretary of State — State & County Directory Mississippi Legislature — 2021 General Legislation Summary Mississippi Secretary of State — Mississippi Law

Reviewed August 20, 2026. This URL is evergreen; live clocks, current abbreviations and UTC offsets update automatically from supported browser time-zone data.

Mississippi Time Zone FAQ

What time zone is Mississippi in?

Mississippi is entirely in Central Time. The state uses CST (UTC−06:00) during standard time and CDT (UTC−05:00) during daylight saving time.

How many time zones are in Mississippi?

Mississippi has one official time zone: Central Time. There is no internal time-zone boundary.

Does all of Mississippi have the same time?

Yes. Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Meridian, Tupelo and all 82 counties share the same official Central Time rules.

What time zone is Jackson, Mississippi in?

Jackson is in Central Time and uses the same CST/CDT schedule as the rest of Mississippi.

What time zone is Biloxi in?

Biloxi and the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast use Central Time. Biloxi uses CST in standard time and CDT during daylight saving time.

What is Mississippi's UTC offset?

Mississippi is UTC−06:00 during Central Standard Time and UTC−05:00 during Central Daylight Time.

Does Mississippi observe daylight saving time?

Yes. In 2026, daylight saving time in Mississippi runs from March 8 at 2:00 a.m. local time to November 1 at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Is Mississippi on CST or CDT right now?

Mississippi uses CST during standard time and CDT during daylight saving time. The live clock above calculates the current abbreviation from the date.

What IANA time zone should I use for Mississippi?

Use America/Chicago for current and future Mississippi civil-time calculations.

Does Mississippi have permanent daylight saving time?

Not yet. Mississippi Code §3-3-63 would make daylight saving time the year-round standard if federal law authorizes states to do so, but that federal trigger has not occurred as of August 20, 2026.

Do I change time when crossing Mississippi's state borders?

Not at the direct borders with Louisiana, Arkansas or Alabama. Tennessee is split between two zones, but the Tennessee counties adjoining Mississippi are on the Central Time side.

Are Jackson and the Mississippi Gulf Coast the same time?

Yes. Jackson, Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula and the rest of Mississippi share the same Central Time clock.