Iowa operates on Central Standard Time (CST) during winter months, which is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-6). During daylight saving time, observed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, Iowa switches to Central Daylight Time (CDT), which is UTC-5.
All of Iowa follows the same time zone. Major cities including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City, and Iowa City all observe Central Time. This makes scheduling across Iowa straightforward, as there's no time difference within the state.
Iowa is in the heart of Central Time. When it's 9 AM in Des Moines, it's 10 AM in New York and 7 AM in Los Angeles. Iowa's central location makes it ideal for agricultural commodity trading, coordinating with both coasts.