Current time in Wilmington, United States

The current local time in Wilmington is shown below. Wilmington observes EST in winter and EDT during daylight saving time.

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🇺🇸 WilmingtonEST

What's the daylight saving status?

Currently in EDT (daylight saving)
Clocks go back to EST on Sunday 1 November 2026

When are sunrise & sunset today?

Sunrise
06:03
Sunset
20:17
Day length
14h 14m
Solar noon
13:10

What are the timezone facts?

Timezone
America/New_York
Standard abbreviation
EST
DST abbreviation
EDT
Observes daylight saving
Yes
Country
🇺🇸 United States
Business hours
09:00 – 17:00 local

What's the timezone history of Wilmington?

Wilmington uses Eastern Time alongside the rest of North Carolina, with the federal DST schedule. The coastal position around 78 degrees west sits east of the Eastern Standard Time meridian, leaving wall time slightly behind solar noon. The coastal Atlantic intracoastal waterway running south to Charleston and north to Norfolk operates by standard navigational timing tied to tide tables rather than civil time, an important practical reference for the substantial recreational and commercial marine traffic through the port.

What are the working hours in Wilmington?

The port, the regional medical centre at Novant Health New Hanover Regional, and a film and television production cluster (the local Screen Gems Studios facility has produced Dawson's Creek, Iron Man 3, and many other major productions) anchor employment. Office hours run 08:30 to 17:00. Hurricane season from June through November shapes coastal scheduling significantly, with September traditionally the most disruptive month. Spring break in March and Memorial Day to Labour Day are the peak beach-tourism windows.

Where is Wilmington?

Wilmington sits in south-eastern North Carolina at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, around 200 kilometres south of Raleigh. The city proper holds around 120,000 residents and the wider New Hanover County roughly 230,000. The Atlantic beaches at Wrightsville, Carolina, and Kure form a 30-kilometre barrier-island chain immediately east. The Port of Wilmington handles container traffic and bulk commodities, the state's only deep-water port. The USS North Carolina battleship memorial moored across the river anchors the downtown waterfront.