Current:Home > reviewsDo all Americans observe daylight saving time? Why some states and territories don't. -NextFrontier Finance
Do all Americans observe daylight saving time? Why some states and territories don't.
View
Date:2025-04-18 17:33:18
Millions of Americans will wake up feeling more refreshed on Sunday thanks to an extra hour of sleep gained from the ending of daylight saving time.
But the twice-annual time change observance, which begins in March and ends in November, is not observed in all U.S. states and territories.
The time change is meant to allow for more daylight in the mornings during the fall and winter and more daylight in the evenings during the spring and summer, as the Northern Hemisphere tilts either toward or farther away from the sun.
Here's what to know about the U.S. states and territories that do not observe daylight saving time.
Video:Watch the top astronomy events for November 2024
Does every state observe daylight saving time?
Not all states and U.S. territories participate in the time change.
If a state chooses to observe daylight saving time, it must begin and end on federally mandated dates, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Under the Uniform Time Act, which was established in 1966, states can exempt themselves from observing daylight saving time.
Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. Because of its desert climate, Arizona doesn't follow daylight saving time (with the exception of the Navajo Nation). After most of the U.S. adopted the Uniform Time Act, the state figured that there wasn't a good reason to adjust clocks to make sunset occur an hour later during the hottest months of the year.
There are also five other U.S. territories that do not participate:
- American Samoa
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Puerto Rico
- U.S. Virgin Islands
The Navajo Nation, located in parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, does follow daylight saving time.
Hawaii is the other state that does not observe daylight saving time. Because of the state's proximity to the equator, there is not a lot of variance between hours of daylight during the year.
When does daylight saving time end in 2024?
Daylight saving time will end for the year at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 3, when we "fall back" and gain an extra hour of sleep.
Next year, it will begin again on Sunday, March 9, 2025.
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is the time between March and November when most Americans adjust their clocks ahead by one hour.
We gain an hour in November (as opposed to losing an hour in the spring) to make for more daylight in the winter mornings. When we "spring forward" in March, it's to add more daylight in the evenings. In the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox is Sunday, Sept. 22, marking the start of the fall season.
Is daylight saving time ending?
The push to stop changing clocks was put before Congress in the last couple of years, when the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, a bill to make daylight saving time permanent.
Although the Sunshine Protection Act was passed unanimously by the Senate in 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it and President Joe Biden did not sign it.
A 2023 version of the act remained idle in Congress, as well.
In a news release Monday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio made another push in support of making daylight saving time permanent.
The senator suggested the nation "stop enduring the ridiculous and antiquated practice of switching our clocks back and forth. Let’s finally pass my Sunshine Protection Act and end the need to ‘fall back’ and ‘spring forward’ for good."
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY.
veryGood! (49245)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- As charges mount, here's a look at Trump's legal and political calendar
- Woman escapes from cinderblock cell in Oregon, prompting FBI search for more possible victims
- 24-Hour Deal: Save $86 on This Bissell Floor Cleaner That Vacuums, Mops, and Steams
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Why Jessica Chastain needed a 'breather' from Oscar Isaac after 'Scenes From a Marriage'
- Leah Remini sues Church of Scientology, alleging harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and defamation
- Kelly Ripa Recalls Daughter Lola Walking in On Her and Mark Consuelos Having Sex, Twice
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Saguaro cacti, fruit trees and other plants are also stressed by Phoenix’s extended extreme heat
Ranking
- A steeplechase record at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then a proposal. (He said yes.)
- Inside Clean Energy: Labor and Environmental Groups Have Learned to Get Along. Here’s the Organization in the Middle
- Museum in New York state returns remains of 19 Native Americans to Oneida Indian Nation
- Willy the Texas rodeo goat, on the lam for weeks, has been found safe
- Sonya Massey's family keeps eyes on 'full justice' one month after shooting
- Man who allegedly fired shots outside Memphis Jewish school charged with attempted murder
- 12 dogs die after air conditioning fails on the way to adoption event
- Veterans sue U.S. Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to get access to infertility treatments
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Drag artists and LGBTQ+ activities sue to block Texas law expanding ban on sexual performances
Federal jury acquits Louisiana trooper caught on camera pummeling Black motorist
Ex-NFL cornerback Damon Arnette must appear in court for plea deal in felony gun case, judge says
Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
Keep quiet, put down the phone: Bad behavior in blockbusters sparks theater-etiquette discussion
In latest TikTok fad, creators make big bucks off NPC streaming
'Big Brother' 2023 schedule: When do Season 25 episodes come out?