Current time in Memphis, United States

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

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🇺🇸 MemphisCST

Daylight saving time

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

Sunrise & sunset today

Sunrise
05:50
Sunset
20:07
Day length
14h 17m
Solar noon
12:58

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

Memphis in context

Memphis sits on a bluff above the lower Mississippi River in the southwestern corner of Tennessee, immediately across the state line from Arkansas and Mississippi. The municipal population is around 625,000, with the wider metropolitan area of 1.3 million spanning the state borders. The city is the largest in the Mississippi Delta region and historically the principal cotton-trading port between New Orleans and St. Louis.

Timezone history of Memphis

Memphis uses Central Time and observes federal DST. The Tennessee-Mississippi-Arkansas tri-state region all sits on Central Time, simplifying scheduling within the immediate metropolitan area. The boundary with Eastern Time runs around 350 kilometres east, near the geographic centre of Tennessee, with Nashville and Memphis therefore sharing a single offset despite the popular perception of east-west separation across the state.

Working hours in Memphis

Memphis is the global hub of FedEx, headquartered in the city and operating its main air hub from Memphis International Airport, where flights begin arriving around 22:00 and depart in waves through the night. The cargo operation has pulled an entire economy of logistics and small-package distribution into a permanent overnight cycle. The conventional office day runs 08:30 to 17:00, with summer heat pushing outdoor activity into early morning or evening.