Time in Santa Cruz, California now
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz.
- State
- California
- Time zone
- Pacific Time
- Offset from UTC now
- Daylight saving time
- Yes, 8 Mar to 1 Nov
- Population
- 64,220
- Coordinates
- 36.9741° N, 122.0308° W
Sunrise and sunset in Santa Cruz.
Worked out for 36.9741° N, 122.0308° W from the position of the sun, and updated every minute. On the longest day of 2026 the sun is up in Santa Cruz for 14h 42m, and on the shortest day for 9h 37m.
- Sunrise
- Sunset
- Day length
- Solar noon
- Moon phase
- Moon lit
Santa Cruz compared with other cities.
How the clock in Santa Cruz lines up with the rest of the United States and a few cities around the world, right now.
| City | Time zone | Local time | From Santa Cruz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Santa Cruz.
The closest places listed for California, with the distance from Santa Cruz and their local time. See every place on the California page.
When the clocks change in Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz.
Short answers about the time zone, sunrise, clock changes and neighbours of Santa Cruz.
01
What time is it in Santa Cruz right now?
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz in?
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Clocks in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz?
Today's sunrise and sunset are shown live on this page. On the longest day of 2026 the sun rises at 05:48 and sets at 20:30, and on the shortest day it rises at 07:17 and sets at 16:54.
05
How long is the longest day in Santa Cruz?
The sun is up for 14h 42m on the June solstice and for 9h 37m on the December solstice. Day length changes fastest around the equinoxes in March and September.
06
What is the time difference between Santa Cruz and New York?
Santa Cruz is 3 hours behind New York all year.
07
What is the time difference between Santa Cruz and London?
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz has about 64,220 people, which makes it one of the places listed for California on Time Dates. Population figures come from GeoNames.
09
Where is Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz sits at 36.9741° N, 122.0308° W in California, about 293 miles from Los Angeles.
10
Which places are closest to Santa Cruz?
The closest places listed are Live Oak, 3 miles away, Capitola, 4 miles away and Scotts Valley, 5 miles away. Each one shows its own local time on this page.