DST 2025 Starts in the US
By Sara Kornberg and Mathew Gundersen. Published 13-Feb-2025
Most of the United States starts Daylight Saving Time (DST) on Sunday, March 9, 2025. President Trump suggests the US could switch to a permanent DST schedule.
The striped areas will start Daylight Saving Time on March 9, 2025.
©timeanddate.com
People in areas that observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) will set their clocks forward one hour, from 02:00 (2 am) to 03:00 (3 am) local time on March 9, 2025.
Standard time, also known as winter time, will resume on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Canada also begins DST on the same date, while the majority of Europe starts DST three weeks later, on March 30, 2025.
Affects Most of the USA
Clocks will be set one hour forward in 48 states, including:
The following areas do not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) and will not change their clocks:
- Hawaii and most of Arizona.
- The US dependencies American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Marina Islands, the US Minor Outlying Islands, and the US Virgin Islands.
Will Donald Trump “Lock the Clock”?
Based on earlier statements from US President Donald Trump, the US could eliminate DST this year. However, it remains unclear which option he favors. In 2019, Trump expressed support for making DST permanent, tweeting:
“Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!”
Currently, 20 states have enacted legislation or passed resolutions in support of permanent DST. Some of those states have made the change contingent on neighboring states doing the same. Additionally, California’s move is voter-authorized and is not counted among the 20 states.
Currently, 20 states want to “lock the clock” and stay on year-round summer time. There are also other initiatives as of January 2025.
©timeanddate.com
However, any move to permanent DST requires approval from Congress at the national level. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 allows states to opt out of DST and observe standard time year-round, but it does not permit the adoption of permanent DST without federal authorization.
“Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!”
President Donald Trump
Because recent efforts to establish DST have stalled in the US Congress, there has been a growing push to adopt permanent standard time instead.
Mexico Removed DST in 2022
Most of Mexico doesn’t have DST.
However, the change has caused confusion and logistical challenges along the US border.
Northern Mexican border towns and cities, such as Tijuana and Juárez (Ciudad Juárez), continue to follow the DST schedules of the USA and Canada. As a result, they will also begin DST on March 9, 2025.
Other Locations That Change
Also starting DST on March 9 are Cuba, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and Thule Air Base in Greenland.
Longer than in Europe
Most of Europe begins DST three weeks later, on March 30, 2025.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, extended Daylight Saving Time to 238 days per year, starting in 2007. This change provided Americans with more evening daylight for most of the year. By comparison, Daylight Saving Time in Europe lasts 210 or 217 days per year, depending on the calendar year.
Set Clocks Back or Ahead?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) shifts the local sunrise and sunset times forward one hour, resulting in more evening daylight. To remember which way to set your watch, keep in mind one of these sayings: “spring forward, fall back” or “spring ahead, fall behind.”
The clocks spring ahead (= losing one hour) in the spring when DST starts, and they fall behind one hour (= gaining one hour) when DST ends in the fall.