Tennessee actually does observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) like most U.S. states; it does not opt out of it. The two U.S. states that do not observe DST at all are Hawaii and most of Arizona.
The simple reason these states don’t follow DST is largely due to their geographic and climatic conditions:
- Hawaii, being close to the equator, experiences relatively consistent daylight throughout the year, so shifting the clock forward or back provides little benefit.
- Arizona, situated in a hot desert climate, avoids DST because extra daylight hours in the evening would mean more energy consumption for air conditioning in the hotter part of the day, which is counterproductive energy-wise.
Tennessee, however, follows the standard DST schedule, clocking forward in spring and backward in fall in sync with most of the eastern U.S. states.
So, the misconception that Tennessee does not do DST is not accurate; the real states that do not observe it are Hawaii and most of Arizona due to practical reasons related to daylight variation and energy conservation.
Sources
(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)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States)
(https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/usa)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_by_country)
(https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5464355-daylight-saving-time-which-states-want-to-stop-changing-the-clocks/)
