2011 Madison, WI

A diverse society and economy requires balanced time planning.

The graph below shows daylight, by day of the year, centered on mid-day (Average Solar Noon). The values are here: Dataset (see also: end notes). The "Away Time" for the graph is 8 Hours. A daily clock, with variable "Away Time", is here: Clock Application.

Calculations are centered at 2 East Main Street (Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison) (43.074452°, -89.384122°, UTC-06:00)
Daylight Savings Time is the same for most of Canada and the US (Sunday, March 13 to Sunday, November 6). Border cities generally follow the US schedule. Most of Mexico, including Mexico City, has a different schedule (Sunday, April 3 to Sunday, October 30).
Civil Twilight begins (and ends) when the Sun is 6° below the horizon. By this time, little artificial light is necessary for outdoor activities, depending, as always on the weather. Civil Twilight is always earlier than the apparent sunrise based upon Atmospheric Refraction (light bends!). Apparent Sunrise is a scientific standard useful for precise measurements of climate, but inappropriate for social and economic planning. For example, in Madison, the average Solar Noon (the Sun at highest point in the sky), year-round, in 2011 occurs at 12:36 PM. Family Time revolves around this "Noon", and your economic role as both a producer and consumer does too.