If you’ve ever tried to drive across the Lone Star State, you already know it’s basically like traversing a small continent. You can drive for ten hours and somehow still be in Texas. But there’s a weird glitch that happens when you hit the far western edge. Suddenly, your phone clock jumps back an hour. You haven't entered a parallel universe, but you have officially left the time zone that governs 99% of the state.
So, what time zone does Texas use? For most of us, the answer is Central Time. But it’s not that simple. Texas is one of the few states in the U.S. that actually straddles two different time zones.
The Big Split: Central vs. Mountain
The vast majority of Texas—from the piney woods of the east to the high plains of the Panhandle—runs on Central Time. If you are in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, or even Amarillo, you are ticking along with the rest of the Midwest.
However, once you get past the Pecos River and head toward the Franklin Mountains, things change. Deep in West Texas, two counties (and a tiny sliver of a third) officially observe Mountain Time.
- El Paso County: The big one. El Paso is the only major Texas city that operates an hour behind the rest of the state.
- Hudspeth County: Sitting right next to El Paso, this sparsely populated area stays in sync with its neighbor.
- Culberson County (The Exception): This is where it gets really "Texas." Officially, Culberson County is in the Central Time Zone. But if you visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park in the northwest corner of the county, they unofficially use Mountain Time. Why? Because the park's staff and visitors mostly come from El Paso or New Mexico. It's just easier for everyone if the park isn't living in the "future" compared to the nearest town.
Why El Paso Is "Left Behind"
It feels a little lonely out there for El Paso, but honestly, it makes a ton of sense when you look at a map. El Paso is actually closer to San Diego, California, than it is to Houston.
Back in the early 1900s, there was a brief period between 1919 and 1921 where the Texas Panhandle and parts of the Plains were actually moved to Mountain Time. The locals hated it. It made business with the rest of the state a total nightmare. By March 1921, Congress stepped in and moved them back to Central Time. El Paso, however, stayed put. Their economy and culture are way more tied to southern New Mexico and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, than they are to the oil fields of East Texas or the skyscrapers of Dallas.
✨ Don't miss: Gas and Electric Stove Combo: Why These Dual Fuel Ranges Are Actually Worth the Hype
Does Texas Do Daylight Saving?
Yeah, we still do. Every year, usually on the second Sunday in March, almost every Texan "springs forward." In 2026, this happens on March 8. Then, on the first Sunday in November (which will be November 1, 2026), we "fall back."
Because the state uses two zones, the shift looks like this:
- Central Daylight Time (CDT) becomes UTC-5.
- Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) becomes UTC-6.
When we aren't in Daylight Saving mode, we're on Central Standard Time (CST) and Mountain Standard Time (MST). It’s a lot of acronyms just to say that El Paso is always exactly one hour behind Dallas.
The Business Reality of the Time Jump
If you’re a business owner in Midland or Odessa, you’re on Central Time. But if you have a client in El Paso, you basically lose an hour of your morning for meetings.
💡 You might also like: The Mae West Lips Sofa: Why This Surrealist Icon Is Still Everywhere
I’ve heard stories of people living in Van Horn (Central Time) but working in El Paso (Mountain Time). They essentially "gain" an hour on their commute to work, but then they "lose" it on the way home. It’s a strange way to live, but for people on the border of that line, it’s just Tuesday.
Actionable Tips for Navigating Texas Time
If you’re planning a road trip or scheduling a cross-state Zoom call, keep these three things in mind to avoid being late (or awkwardly early):
- Trust the Phone, but Verify: Modern smartphones are great at switching time zones via GPS, but in the "dead zones" of West Texas where cell towers are miles apart, your phone might lag. If you’re crossing the Pecos River, double-check your dashboard clock.
- The Guadalupe Exception: If you’re hiking El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, remember the park usually operates on El Paso time (Mountain), even if your GPS says you’re in a Central Time county.
- Booking Flights: If you fly from DFW to El Paso (ELP), your flight might look like it only takes 30 minutes on paper. It doesn't. You’re just gaining an hour from the time zone shift.
Understanding what time zone Texas uses is mostly about knowing where you stand on the map. As long as you stay east of the 105th meridian, you’re safe in Central Time. Once you see the mountains, it's time to set your watch back.