The earliest sunsets in America this winter.Anchorage, 3:40 PM. Spokane, 3:58 PM. Boston, 4:12 PM.
The earliest sunsets.
| City | Earliest sunset | Date | Latest sunrise | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokane, WA | 3:58 PM | Dec 11 | 7:38 AM | Jan 1 |
| Manchester, NH | 4:11 PM | Dec 9 | 7:17 AM | Jan 3 |
| Boston, MA | 4:12 PM | Dec 8 | 7:14 AM | Jan 3 |
| Lowell, MA | 4:12 PM | Dec 8 | 7:15 AM | Jan 3 |
| Cambridge, MA | 4:12 PM | Dec 8 | 7:14 AM | Jan 3 |
| Green Bay, WI | 4:12 PM | Dec 9 | 7:29 AM | Jan 2 |
| New Bedford, MA | 4:13 PM | Dec 8 | 7:11 AM | Jan 4 |
| Worcester, MA | 4:15 PM | Dec 8 | 7:16 AM | Jan 3 |
| Providence, RI | 4:15 PM | Dec 8 | 7:13 AM | Jan 4 |
| Everett, WA | 4:16 PM | Dec 11 | 7:59 AM | Jan 1 |
| Milwaukee, WI | 4:17 PM | Dec 9 | 7:23 AM | Jan 3 |
| Bellevue, WA | 4:17 PM | Dec 10 | 7:57 AM | Jan 1 |
| Seattle, WA | 4:18 PM | Dec 10 | 7:58 AM | Jan 1 |
| Springfield, MA | 4:18 PM | Dec 8 | 7:19 AM | Jan 3 |
| Kent, WA | 4:18 PM | Dec 10 | 7:56 AM | Jan 1 |
| Renton, WA | 4:18 PM | Dec 10 | 7:57 AM | Jan 1 |
| Chicago, IL | 4:19 PM | Dec 8 | 7:18 AM | Jan 3 |
| Tacoma, WA | 4:20 PM | Dec 10 | 7:57 AM | Jan 1 |
| Hartford, CT | 4:20 PM | Dec 8 | 7:18 AM | Jan 4 |
| Elgin, IL | 4:21 PM | Dec 8 | 7:21 AM | Jan 3 |
The cities that keep the most evening.
| City | Earliest sunset | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Odessa, TX | 5:45 PM | Dec 3 |
| Midland, TX | 5:44 PM | Dec 3 |
| Laredo, TX | 5:43 PM | Nov 30 |
| McAllen, TX | 5:41 PM | Nov 30 |
| Lubbock, TX | 5:39 PM | Dec 4 |
| Brownsville, TX | 5:38 PM | Nov 29 |
| Tallahassee, FL | 5:36 PM | Dec 2 |
| San Antonio, TX | 5:35 PM | Dec 2 |
| St. Petersburg, FL | 5:35 PM | Dec 1 |
| Amarillo, TX | 5:35 PM | Dec 5 |
| Cape Coral, FL | 5:35 PM | Nov 30 |
| Clearwater, FL | 5:35 PM | Dec 1 |
Every state's largest city.
| State | City | Earliest sunset this winter | Latest sunrise on today's clocks | On permanent DST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Birmingham | 4:39 PM | 7:10 AM | 7:52 AM |
| Alaska | Anchorage | 3:40 PM | 10:16 AM | 11:16 AM |
| Arizona | Phoenix | 5:20 PM | 7:33 AM | 8:33 AM |
| Arkansas | Little Rock | 4:58 PM | 7:34 AM | 8:17 AM |
| California | Los Angeles | 4:43 PM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM |
| Colorado | Denver | 4:35 PM | 7:34 AM | 8:21 AM |
| Connecticut | Bridgeport | 4:24 PM | 7:30 AM | 8:18 AM |
| Delaware | Wilmington | 4:37 PM | 7:36 AM | 8:24 AM |
| Washington, DC | Washington | 4:46 PM | 7:41 AM | 8:27 AM |
| Florida | Jacksonville | 5:26 PM | 7:45 AM | 8:24 AM |
| Georgia | Atlanta | 5:29 PM | 8:01 AM | 8:43 AM |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | 5:48 PM | 7:12 AM | 8:12 AM |
| Idaho | Boise | 5:08 PM | 8:27 AM | 9:18 AM |
| Illinois | Chicago | 4:19 PM | 7:29 AM | 8:18 AM |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | 5:20 PM | 8:19 AM | 9:06 AM |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 4:44 PM | 7:52 AM | 8:41 AM |
| Kansas | Wichita | 5:10 PM | 8:00 AM | 8:45 AM |
| Kentucky | Louisville | 5:23 PM | 8:14 AM | 9:00 AM |
| Louisiana | New Orleans | 5:00 PM | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM |
| Maine | Portland | 4:04 PM | 7:23 AM | 8:15 AM |
| Maryland | Baltimore | 4:43 PM | 7:40 AM | 8:26 AM |
| Massachusetts | Boston | 4:12 PM | 7:24 AM | 8:14 AM |
| Michigan | Detroit | 5:00 PM | 8:11 AM | 9:01 AM |
| Minnesota | Minneapolis | 4:31 PM | 7:58 AM | 8:51 AM |
| Mississippi | Jackson | 4:55 PM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM |
| Missouri | Kansas City | 4:55 PM | 7:51 AM | 8:38 AM |
| Montana | Billings | 4:29 PM | 8:01 AM | 8:55 AM |
| Nebraska | Omaha | 4:55 PM | 8:01 AM | 8:50 AM |
| Nevada | Las Vegas | 4:26 PM | 7:08 AM | 7:52 AM |
| New Hampshire | Manchester | 4:11 PM | 7:26 AM | 8:17 AM |
| New Jersey | Newark | 4:29 PM | 7:33 AM | 8:21 AM |
| New Mexico | Albuquerque | 4:54 PM | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM |
| New York | New York | 4:28 PM | 7:32 AM | 8:20 AM |
| North Carolina | Charlotte | 5:11 PM | 7:49 AM | 8:32 AM |
| North Dakota | Fargo | 4:38 PM | 8:17 AM | 9:12 AM |
| Ohio | Columbus | 5:07 PM | 8:07 AM | 8:54 AM |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma City | 5:17 PM | 7:56 AM | 8:40 AM |
| Oregon | Portland | 4:27 PM | 7:57 AM | 8:51 AM |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 4:35 PM | 7:35 AM | 8:23 AM |
| Rhode Island | Providence | 4:15 PM | 7:24 AM | 8:13 AM |
| South Carolina | Charleston | 5:13 PM | 7:42 AM | 8:23 AM |
| South Dakota | Sioux Falls | 4:50 PM | 8:09 AM | 9:00 AM |
| Tennessee | Nashville | 4:32 PM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM |
| Texas | Houston | 5:22 PM | 7:39 AM | 8:18 AM |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | 5:00 PM | 8:04 AM | 8:52 AM |
| Vermont | Burlington | 4:13 PM | 7:37 AM | 8:29 AM |
| Virginia | Virginia Beach | 4:47 PM | 7:33 AM | 8:17 AM |
| Washington | Seattle | 4:18 PM | 8:01 AM | 8:58 AM |
| West Virginia | Charleston | 5:06 PM | 7:58 AM | 8:44 AM |
| Wisconsin | Milwaukee | 4:17 PM | 7:32 AM | 8:23 AM |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne | 4:30 PM | 7:36 AM | 8:25 AM |
The last two columns come from our report on permanent daylight saving time, for calendar 2027.
Around the world.
| City | Earliest sunset | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm, Sweden | 2:47 PM | Dec 16 |
| Kazan, Russia | 3:10 PM | Dec 15 |
| Oslo, Norway | 3:11 PM | Dec 16 |
| Warsaw, Poland | 3:23 PM | Dec 13 |
| Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia | 3:27 PM | Dec 15 |
| Kharkiv, Ukraine | 3:33 PM | Dec 12 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | 3:37 PM | Dec 14 |
| Harbin, China | 3:49 PM | Dec 11 |
| London, United Kingdom | 3:51 PM | Dec 13 |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | 3:52 PM | Dec 16 |
| Berlin, Germany | 3:52 PM | Dec 13 |
| Daqing, China | 3:52 PM | Dec 11 |
Questions.
Why is the earliest sunset before the shortest day?
Because solar noon drifts later on the clock through December, by about half a minute a day. The sunset gets that drift while the day is still shortening slowly, so the two balance a couple of weeks before the solstice. In New York the earliest sunset is December 8, the shortest day is December 21, and the latest sunrise is January 4. See why days change length.
Which US city has the earliest sunset?
Among cities of 100,000 people or more, Anchorage, AK at 3:40 PM. In the lower 48 it is Spokane, WA at 3:58 PM.
Which US city has the latest winter sunset?
Among cities of 100,000 people or more in the lower 48, Odessa, TX. Its earliest sunset of the winter is 5:45 PM.
An early sunset can still be a good one.
Sol tells you hours ahead whether tonight's sunset is worth stepping outside for, for the place you choose.
Figures are for calendar 2027 unless a heading says otherwise, worked out with NOAA's solar equations and the IANA time zone database (version 2026e) at each place's coordinates from GeoNames. Sunrise and sunset put the sun's center 0.833° below a flat horizon, so hills move a real place by minutes. Download the figures.