Current time in Columbus, United States
The current local time in Columbus is shown below. Columbus observes EST in winter and EDT during daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time
Sunrise & sunset today
Timezone facts
Columbus in context
Columbus sits on the Scioto River in central Ohio, the state capital and largest city with around 910,000 residents in the municipality and 2.2 million across the wider metropolitan area. The city has grown steadily through the 2010s and 2020s, leapfrogging Cleveland and Cincinnati to become the largest in Ohio while retaining a notably affordable cost-of-living relative to coastal US metros.
Timezone history of Columbus
Columbus is on Eastern Time, sharing the standard offset with most of Ohio (the small western corner of the state around the Indiana border sits on Central Time). The city sits near the western edge of the Eastern zone, with solar noon arriving close to 13:30 local time during daylight saving. Federal DST rules apply.
Working hours in Columbus
Columbus's working day runs 08:00 to 17:00 across the city's substantial financial, insurance, and retail-headquarters employers (Nationwide, JPMorgan Chase's largest non-NYC site, Cardinal Health, Big Lots, L Brands). Ohio State University, with around 65,000 students on the main Columbus campus, shapes the city's calendar around the September-to-May academic year and the autumn football schedule, which produces measurable Saturday business disruption.