San Antonio uses Central Time (CT) — UTC−6 in winter (CST) and UTC−5 in summer (CDT). It is the seventh most populous city in the United States, home to more US military bases than any other American city, the iconic Alamo, and one of the fastest-growing economies in the entire country.
Everything you need to know about San Antonio's time zone, UTC offset, and Daylight Saving Time schedule.
From the first Sunday of November to the second Sunday of March, San Antonio observes CST (UTC−6). During winter, San Antonio shares its offset with Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and most of Mexico City — making cross-border scheduling straightforward for the many businesses operating across the Texas–Mexico corridor.
From the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, San Antonio moves to CDT (UTC−5). The city's famous River Walk and outdoor festival season — from Fiesta San Antonio to Luminaria — benefit from the extended evening daylight that CDT provides through the long South Texas summer.
The official IANA time zone name for San Antonio is America/Chicago, which covers the entire US Central Time Zone. This identifier is shared with Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Kansas City, New Orleans and all other Central Time cities — and drives calendar systems, scheduling software and travel apps worldwide.
Spring forward: 9 March 2025 at 02:00 → 03:00
Fall back: 2 November 2025 at 02:00 → 01:00
Spring forward: 8 March 2026 at 02:00 → 03:00
Fall back: 1 November 2026 at 02:00 → 01:00
San Antonio is home to four major US military installations: Joint Base San Antonio–Lackland (largest basic training base in the DoD), Fort Sam Houston, Randolph Air Force Base, and Camp Bullis. With over 250,000 active-duty, reserve, and civilian military personnel in the metro area, San Antonio coordinates with time zones worldwide — from Central Command in Tampa to CENTCOM partners in the Middle East.
San Antonio sits at the northern anchor of one of the most active trade corridors in the world. Located just 240 km (150 miles) from Laredo — the busiest inland port in the United States — San Antonio is the logistics and commercial hub for US–Mexico trade along Interstate 35. Most of Mexico City and Monterrey share Central Time with San Antonio during winter months.
San Antonio is the seventh most populous city in the United States, with approximately 1.5 million residents in the city proper and over 2.6 million in the Greater San Antonio metropolitan area. Located in south-central Texas on the edge of the Texas Hill Country and the Gulf Coastal Plains, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the American Southwest and the fastest-growing large city in the US in terms of absolute population gain over the past decade.
The city's most famous landmark, The Alamo, draws nearly 2.5 million visitors annually and stands as the most visited historic site in Texas. Built as Mission San Antonio de Valero in 1718, it became the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution — a defining moment in American and Texan history whose rallying cry, "Remember the Alamo!", echoes to this day. The historic San Antonio Missions — five 18th-century Spanish colonial missions — collectively form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only one in Texas.
San Antonio holds the distinction of hosting more US military installations than any other city in the country. Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) encompasses three major installations — Lackland AFB, Fort Sam Houston, and Randolph AFB — and is the largest military installation in the Department of Defense, training over 80,000 recruits and students annually. The military presence accounts for an estimated $47 billion in annual economic impact on the region and connects San Antonio operationally to time zones from Germany (Ramstein AB) to Japan (Yokota AB) and South Korea.
The San Antonio River Walk (Paseo del Río) is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy-recognised network of walkways along the San Antonio River, lined with restaurants, bars, hotels and cultural venues. It is the second most visited attraction in Texas after the San Antonio Sea World, and one of the most visited sites in the entire United States. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas operates a major truck assembly plant in San Antonio, and **Valero Energy** — one of the world's largest independent petroleum refiners — is headquartered here.
San Antonio's demographic and cultural identity is among the most distinctive in the United States. Latinos constitute approximately 63% of the city's population, making it the largest US city by percentage with a Hispanic or Latino majority. The city's deep roots in Mexican and Spanish colonial culture are visible in its architecture, food, music (the city is the birthplace of conjunto and Tejano music), and festivals — above all Fiesta San Antonio, a ten-day celebration held each April attracting over three million visitors.
1.5 million city / ~2.6 million metro. The 7th most populous US city and the largest city in the US with a Hispanic majority population.
Joint Base San Antonio — the DoD's largest installation. 250,000+ military-affiliated personnel. $47 billion annual military economic impact.
Same time as Dallas and Houston. 1h behind New York, 2h behind London. ~90 min from Laredo (Mexico border). ~3h drive from Austin.
Humid subtropical, trending semi-arid. Hot summers (avg. 36°C / 97°F in July), mild winters (avg. 9°C / 48°F in January). Occasional ice storms in winter.
English and Spanish equally dominant — roughly 63% of the population is Hispanic or Latino. San Antonio is the birthplace of Tejano and conjunto music.
+1 (US country code). Area codes: 210 (San Antonio city), 726 (overlay). Currency: US Dollar (USD, $).
Cities connected to San Antonio by military operations, cross-border trade, tourism and the Texas economy. Times update live every second.
Note on DST transitions: The offsets shown above reflect the current live offset, which changes twice a year due to Daylight Saving Time. The US and Mexico observe DST on different schedules, which means the offset between San Antonio and cities like Monterrey or Mexico City can temporarily shift by 1 hour in spring and autumn. Always verify the exact offset during DST transition periods for cross-border scheduling.
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San Antonio's Central Time zone places it at the operational heart of the US–Mexico trade corridor. With over $300 billion in annual US–Mexico trade flowing through Texas, and Joint Base San Antonio coordinating missions across time zones from Germany to South Korea, getting the time right across borders is mission-critical — literally.
TimeZoria AI uses your browser's built-in Intl API and the IANA tz database (America/Chicago) to always display the correct San Antonio time — including DST changes — without any network requests.
Cities connected to San Antonio by military alliances, cross-border trade, tourism and the Texas economy — check their current local time.
Common questions about San Antonio's time zone, UTC offset, DST, and time differences to Mexico and major global cities.