Daylight today
Today the sun is up for 10 hours 43 minutes in Chicago: 2 min 40 sec less than yesterday, and 1 hour 36 minutes more than on December 21, 2025, the darkest day, which had 9 h 8 min. The days are getting shorter until the shortest day of the year.
What sets Chicago apart
- Its earliest sunset, 4:20 PM on December 7, is the 5th earliest of the 51.
- Chicago sits at about the latitude of Rome, so their shortest and longest days are close to the same length.
- Its longest day is 6 h 6 min longer than its shortest: 15 h 14 min on the longest day against 9 h 8 min on the shortest.
First light and last light
Sunrise isn't when the day starts here. First light is at 6:45 AM, 28 minutes earlier, and last light at 6:25 PM, 28 minutes after sunset: 11 hours 40 minutes of light in Chicago today, 10 h 43 min of it with the sun up. The sun is 6° below the horizon at each; how DaySight calculates these times.
Clock changes
On Sunday, November 1 the clocks go back. In Chicago that takes sunset from 5:47 PM the day before to 4:46 PM, and sunrise from 7:22 AM to 6:24 AM. The light shifts to the morning, where it does the most good for sleep.
The year in Chicago
Chicago swings from 9 h 8 min of daylight on December 22 to 15 h 14 min on June 21. Its earliest sunset, though, is on December 7, and its latest sunrise on December 30: the shortest day sits between the two.
Chicago's days run from 9 h 8 min to 15 h 14 min
Hours from sunrise to sunset on each day of 2026. Today is marked.
Source: DaySight, calculated from the sun's position over Chicago.
Month by month
| Month | First light | Sunrise | Sunset | Last light | Sun up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AMfirst light 6:46 | 4:45 PMlast light 5:15 | 5:15 PM | 9 h 28 min |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AMfirst light 6:19 | 5:24 PMlast light 5:52 | 5:52 PM | 10 h 37 min |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AMfirst light 6:36 | 6:57 PMlast light 7:25 | 7:25 PM | 11 h 54 min |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:11 AMfirst light 5:42 | 7:31 PMlast light 8:00 | 8:00 PM | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:31 AMfirst light 4:59 | 8:04 PMlast light 8:36 | 8:36 PM | 14 h 33 min |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:16 AMfirst light 4:41 | 8:28 PMlast light 9:02 | 9:02 PM | 15 h 12 min |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:29 AMfirst light 4:56 | 8:25 PMlast light 8:58 | 8:58 PM | 14 h 56 min |
| August | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AMfirst light 5:29 | 7:52 PMlast light 8:22 | 8:22 PM | 13 h 53 min |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AMfirst light 6:03 | 7:02 PMlast light 7:30 | 7:30 PM | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AMfirst light 6:35 | 6:11 PMlast light 6:39 | 6:39 PM | 11 h 7 min |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AMfirst light 6:11 | 4:31 PMlast light 5:01 | 5:01 PM | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AMfirst light 6:40 | 4:21 PMlast light 4:53 | 4:53 PM | 9 h 9 min |
Nearby
- Milwaukee, WI: 81 miles away, sunset today 5:56 PM.
- Sunrise and sunset in Indianapolis: 165 miles away, sunset today 6:54 PM.
- Detroit, MI: 237 miles away, sunset today 6:38 PM.
- Sunrise and sunset in Louisville: 269 miles away, sunset today 6:54 PM.
All 51 cities: sunrise and sunset times by city.