New York to Los Angeles Time Difference
New York is exactly 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles year-round. Scheduling coast-to-coast US business calls and flight adjustments.
The short answer
New York (Eastern Time) is always 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles (Pacific Time). When it is 12:00 PM noon in New York, it is 09:00 AM in Los Angeles.
Both regions transition to Daylight Saving Time simultaneously on the second Sunday of March and first Sunday of November, keeping the 3-hour difference permanent year-round.
Hour Comparison Table (New York vs. Los Angeles)
| New York Time (ET) | Los Angeles Time (PT) | Coast-to-Coast Business Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 AM (NYC work start) | 06:00 AM (LA early morning) | LA sleeping |
| 09:30 AM (NYSE opens) | 06:30 AM | US stock markets begin trading |
| 12:00 PM (NYC lunch) | 09:00 AM (LA work start) | California workday begins |
| 01:00 PM – 05:00 PM | 10:00 AM – 02:00 PM | Prime national collaboration window (4 hours) |
| 05:00 PM (NYC EOD) | 02:00 PM (LA afternoon) | East Coast signs off |
| 08:00 PM (NYC evening) | 05:00 PM (LA EOD) | West Coast signs off |
Coast-to-Coast Team Etiquette
The 3-hour difference allows a generous 4-hour daily overlap from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM Eastern (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Pacific). Avoid scheduling mandatory cross-country meetings before 9:00 AM Pacific / 12:00 PM Eastern.
Timezone: World Clock Widget
A world clock, converter and live day/night map for iPhone — 325 cities, offline, no account.
Figures on this page are computed from the IANA time zone database. Last generated 2026-08-20.