Twice a year, most Americans either groan at losing an hour of sleep or enjoy a rare bonus hour. But if you live in New Mexico, you might be wondering: Wait, do we even change the clocks? Well, here’s the truth: New Mexico does observe Daylight Saving Time—but there’s a lot of confusion because one of its neighbors famously does not.
The real story? New Mexico still switches clocks twice a year, just like the majority of U.S. states. However, its neighbor, Arizona, largely does not. And that’s where the mix-up begins.
Let’s break it down.
The State That Doesn’t Observe Daylight Saving Time: Arizona
Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation) is one of the only U.S. states that completely opts out of Daylight Saving Time (DST). That means no springing forward and no falling back. The state stays on Mountain Standard Time (MST) year-round.
Why? It’s all about the heat.
Arizona’s long, scorching summers mean most people don’t want an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. By skipping DST, sunset comes earlier, which helps keep homes cooler during the hottest part of the year. This decision dates back to 1968, when the state decided the energy savings from DST weren’t worth the extra sunlight.
So, Where Does New Mexico Stand?
Despite the confusion, New Mexico follows the national DST schedule. That means:
Clocks move forward one hour in spring
Clocks fall back one hour in autumn
The state is in the Mountain Time Zone, so when Arizona doesn’t change and New Mexico does, the two states end up on different times for half the year.
This leads to real-life confusion for:
Travelers driving between Arizona and New Mexico
People working remotely across state lines
TV schedules, meetings, and flights
Why Doesn’t Arizona Follow DST, But New Mexico Does?
Here’s the very simple reason: Arizona passed a law to opt out. New Mexico hasn’t.
The federal government allows states to choose not to observe Daylight Saving Time, but they must pass state legislation to do so. Arizona made that choice decades ago. New Mexico has discussed it—and even introduced bills—but nothing has passed.
So until that changes, New Mexico will continue to:
Spring forward in March
Fall back in November
Be one hour ahead of Arizona for about half the year
The simple reason New Mexico still does Daylight Saving Time is because the state hasn’t passed a law to stop it—unlike Arizona, which decided it made more sense to stay on standard time all year. While people often confuse the two states (thanks to their shared time zone), only Arizona officially skips the clock change.
So yes—New Mexico still changes its clocks. But if you ever cross into Arizona and suddenly find yourself in a different time without changing a thing, now you know why.
SOURCES
[1] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/us-states-scrap-daylight-savings-time-change/
[2] https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/when-daylight-saving-time-2025-fall-back-date-end-states-observe-what-reason-us-states-territories-do-not-follow-how-to-prepare/articleshow/123099184.cms
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States
[4] https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/usa
[5] https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5149485-daylight-saving-time-2025-these-states-are-trying-to-lock-the-clocks/
