Current time in Madison, United States

The current local time in Madison is shown below. Madison observes CST in winter and CDT during daylight saving time.

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🇺🇸 MadisonCST

What's the daylight saving status?

Currently in CDT (daylight saving)
Clocks go back to CST on Sunday 1 November 2026

When are sunrise & sunset today?

Sunrise
05:24
Sunset
20:27
Day length
15h 3m
Solar noon
12:56

What are the timezone facts?

Timezone
America/Chicago
Standard abbreviation
CST
DST abbreviation
CDT
Observes daylight saving
Yes
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Business hours
09:00 – 17:00 local

What's the timezone history of Madison?

Madison uses Central Time and observes federal DST alongside the rest of Wisconsin. The position close to the eastern edge of the Central zone places solar noon arriving close to clock noon during standard time. The Michigan border across Lake Michigan to the east places Madison an hour behind the Lower Peninsula despite the geographical proximity. The Illinois border 130 kilometres south produces no time change. The federal DST schedule applies.

What are the working hours in Madison?

Madison's working economy is anchored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison (the largest single employer with around 24,000 staff and 50,000 students), state government employment around the capitol, and the substantial biotechnology cluster that has grown around the university's life-sciences research. Epic Systems, the electronic health records company, employs around 13,000 staff at its Verona campus immediately south-west. Office hours run 08:00 to 17:00 in conventional sectors. The Wisconsin Badgers football season produces substantial autumn visitor traffic.

Where is Madison?

Madison sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona in south-central Wisconsin, the state capital. The metropolitan area holds around 685,000 residents, the second-largest in Wisconsin after Milwaukee. The geography is the dramatic isthmus setting: the State Capitol sits at the highest point of the narrow strip of land between the two lakes, with the University of Wisconsin's main campus extending along the southern Mendota shore. Four large lakes (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa) form a continuous chain through the Yahara River. The terrain is rolling glacial moraine.