Map and migration reader

To read a GED map, start with the title and legend, then check direction, scale and regions before you answer. The legend tells you what each shade means; the scale bar turns map distance into miles. This lab uses Census Bureau 2025 estimates on an original U.S. tile map, plus original practice maps.

Population change by state, April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates (released January 2026). Percent change from the April 1, 2020 estimates base to the July 1, 2025 estimate.

Fastest growth: Idaho 10.4%, Florida 8.9%, South Carolina 8.8%.

States that lost population: California -0.5%, Hawaii -1.5%, Illinois -0.8%, Louisiana -0.9%, Mississippi -0.2%, New York -1%, West Virginia -1.5%.

Net domestic migration by Census region, July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025

  • Northeast: −205,552 people.
  • Midwest: +16,040 people.
  • South: +357,790 people.
  • West: −168,278 people.

Census regions

  • Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania.
  • Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.
  • South: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas.
  • West: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington.

Map skills practised

  • Legends and choropleth classes
  • Compass directions on an original county map
  • Scale-bar distance (each grid square is 10 miles)
  • Latitude and longitude on an original grid
  • Migration-flow arrows and net migration (invented practice data)

GED Social Studies facts (checked 26 October 2026)

  • The Social Studies test lasts 70 minutes, including 2 minutes of instructions and final review, with no break (GED.com).
  • Question types: multiple choice, drag and drop, fill in the blank, select an area and drop-down (GED.com).
  • Content: civics and government 50%, U.S. history 20%, economics 15%, geography and the world 15% (GED Testing Service assessment guide).
  • GED.com says the Social Studies test is not a memorization test: you use the information given to draw conclusions.
  • You pass a GED subject with a score of 145 on the 100 to 200 scale. Lab results here are practice only and are not GED scores.

Keep going

Independence

Independent preparation materials. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ACE or GED Testing Service. GED is a registered trademark owned by ACE. Practice results do not predict an official GED score, and GEDPilot does not guarantee a passing score.

Last updated .