Time in Palo Alto, California now
Palo Alto is in California and uses Pacific Time. The clock on this page is live, and the times below are worked out for the coordinates of Palo Alto.
- State
- California
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- Offset from UTC now
- Daylight saving time
- Yes, 8 Mar to 1 Nov
- Population
- 66,853
- Coordinates
- 37.4419° N, 122.1430° W
Sunrise and sunset in Palo Alto.
Worked out for 37.4419° N, 122.1430° W from the position of the sun, and updated every minute. On the longest day of 2026 the sun is up in Palo Alto for 14h 45m, and on the shortest day for 9h 35m.
- Sunrise
- Sunset
- Day length
- Solar noon
- Moon phase
- Moon lit
Palo Alto compared with other cities.
How the clock in Palo Alto lines up with the rest of the United States and a few cities around the world, right now.
| City | Time zone | Local time | From Palo Alto |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Eastern Time | --:-- | |
| Chicago | Central Time | --:-- | |
| Denver | Mountain Time | --:-- | |
| Phoenix | Mountain Time without daylight saving | --:-- | |
| Los Angeles | Pacific Time | --:-- | |
| Honolulu | Hawaii-Aleutian Time | --:-- | |
| London | United Kingdom | --:-- | |
| Dubai | United Arab Emirates | --:-- | |
| Tokyo | Japan | --:-- | |
| Sydney | Australia | --:-- |
Time in places near Palo Alto.
The closest places listed for California, with the distance from Palo Alto and their local time. See every place on the California page.
When the clocks change in Palo Alto.
Palo Alto follows the national rules: clocks go forward one hour on the second Sunday of March and back one hour on the first Sunday of November, at 2:00 local time.
- 8 March 2026 Clocks go forward 1 hour Daylight saving time starts at 2:00 local time
- 1 November 2026 Clocks go back 1 hour Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 local time
- 14 March 2027 Clocks go forward 1 hour Daylight saving time starts at 2:00 local time
- 7 November 2027 Clocks go back 1 hour Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 local time
Sunrise and sunset above move with the clock change, so evenings are an hour lighter from Sunday, 8 March 2026.
Quick answers about time in Palo Alto.
Short answers about the time zone, sunrise, clock changes and neighbours of Palo Alto.
01
What time is it in Palo Alto right now?
Palo Alto is on Pacific Time, UTC-8, and UTC-7 during daylight saving time. The clock at the top of this page shows the current local time and updates every minute.
02
What time zone is Palo Alto in?
Palo Alto uses Pacific Time, the same zone as the rest of California in most cases. The California page shows every zone used in the state.
03
Does Palo Alto observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks in Palo Alto go forward one hour on Sunday, 8 March 2026 and back one hour on Sunday, 1 November 2026, both at 2:00 local time.
04
What time does the sun rise in Palo Alto?
Today's sunrise and sunset are shown live on this page. On the longest day of 2026 the sun rises at 05:47 and sets at 20:32, and on the shortest day it rises at 07:19 and sets at 16:53.
05
How long is the longest day in Palo Alto?
The sun is up for 14h 45m on the June solstice and for 9h 35m on the December solstice. Day length changes fastest around the equinoxes in March and September.
06
What is the time difference between Palo Alto and New York?
Palo Alto is 3 hours behind New York all year.
07
What is the time difference between Palo Alto and London?
Palo Alto is 8 hours behind London for most of the year. The gap changes for a few weeks each spring and autumn, because the United States and the United Kingdom change their clocks on different dates.
08
How many people live in Palo Alto?
Palo Alto has about 66,853 people, which makes it one of the places listed for California on Time Dates. Population figures come from GeoNames.
09
Where is Palo Alto?
Palo Alto sits at 37.4419° N, 122.1430° W in California, about 320 miles from Los Angeles.
10
Which places are closest to Palo Alto?
The closest places listed are Stanford, 2 miles away, Menlo Park, 2 miles away and Los Altos, 4 miles away. Each one shows its own local time on this page.