Current:Home > ContactDo all Americans observe daylight saving time? Why some states and territories don't. -Elevate Capital Network
Do all Americans observe daylight saving time? Why some states and territories don't.
View
Date:2025-04-23 16:04:21
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! (371)
Related
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- CoCo Lee Reflected on Difficult Year in Final Instagram Post Before Death
- All of You Will Love Chrissy Teigen’s Adorable Footage of Her and John Legend’s 4 Kids
- How a cat rescue worker created an internet splash with a 'CatVana' adoption campaign
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Is AI a job-killer or an up-skiller?
- Why Won’t the Environmental Protection Agency Fine New Mexico’s Greenhouse Gas Leakers?
- California Released a Bold Climate Plan, but Critics Say It Will Harm Vulnerable Communities and Undermine Its Goals
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Study: Pennsylvania Children Who Live Near Fracking Wells Have Higher Leukemia Risk
Ranking
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- The Summer I Turned Pretty Cast Reveals Whether They're Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah
- Ford reverses course and decides to keep AM radio on its vehicles
- Slim majority wants debt ceiling raised without spending cuts, poll finds
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Robert De Niro's Daughter Says Her Son Leandro Died After Taking Fentanyl-Laced Pills
- Durable and enduring, blue jeans turn 150
- What the debt ceiling standoff could mean for your retirement plans
Recommendation
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
Smallville's Allison Mack Released From Prison Early in NXIVM Sex Trafficking Case
Trisha Paytas Responds to Colleen Ballinger Allegedly Sharing Her NSFW Photos With Fans
Meta is fined a record $1.3 billion over alleged EU law violations
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Meghan Trainor Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Daryl Sabara
Occidental Seeks Texas Property Tax Abatements to Help Finance its Long-Shot Plan for Removing Carbon Dioxide From the Atmosphere
Ice-T Defends Wife Coco Austin After She Posts NSFW Pool Photo