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Samantha Fields

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Samantha Fields is a senior reporter at Marketplace.

She’s particularly interested in how the economy affects people’s everyday lives, and a lot of her coverage focuses on economic inequality, housing and climate change.

She’s also reported and produced for WCAI and The GroundTruth Project, the “NPR Politics Podcast,” NPR’s midday show, “Here & Now,” Vermont Public Radio and Maine Public Radio. She got her start in journalism as a reporter for a community paper, The Wellesley Townsman, and her start in radio as an intern and freelance producer at “The Takeaway” at WNYC. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Episodes by Samantha (23)

Make Me Smart | Episode 1165

Neoliberalism's sleight of hand

May 21, 2024
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1120

Gaza's food crisis

Mar 18, 2024
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Marketplace Minute

Wholesale prices rose in January

Feb 16, 2024
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Marketplace Minute

Household debt rose in the third quarter

Nov 7, 2023
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Marketplace Minute

Stocks close higher

Oct 30, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1029

AI robocalls and ethical concerns for New Yorkers

Oct 19, 2023
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Marketplace Minute

Goldman sees less risk of a U.S. recession

Sep 5, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 992

The rise of homeownership sans insurance

Aug 28, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 896

Who's paying Trump's legal bills?

Apr 5, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 895

The recent phenomenon of the AR-15's popularity

Apr 4, 2023
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Latest Stories (574)

One in 7 Americans has gotten health insurance through the ACA in the last decade

by Samantha Fields
Sep 11, 2024
But the subsidies that enabled a wave of new signups since the pandemic are only in place until 2025.
The number of people enrolled under the Affordable Care Act has surge from roughly 11 million in 2020 to about 21 million in 2204.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
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A Warmer World

Climate change is leading to higher utility bills — and not just because of rising temps

by Samantha Fields
Sep 10, 2024
Regulators approved more than $9.7 billion in utility rate increases nationally last year.
Building solar and wind farms, as well as transmission lines to connect them to the grid, is pricey. Utilities are passing a lot of these expenses on to ratepayers.
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Student loan borrowers are in limbo while legal challenges wend through courts

by Samantha Fields
Sep 5, 2024
An appeals court has temporarily blocked a Biden plan that would reduce monthly payments for many to just 5% of their income.
The Biden administration rolled out the SAVE plan last year. The loans of 8 million borrowers were paused when an appeals court suspended the program in July.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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Who's able to get weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy?

by Samantha Fields
Sep 3, 2024
People with private insurance are most likely to be able to get prescription weight loss drugs covered. Less than 10% of people who got semaglutide last year were on Medicaid.
Ozempic may help with weight loss, but it isn't covered by most insurers.
Sebastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images
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Apartment rents aren't rising as quickly anymore, but remain far higher than pre-pandemic

by Samantha Fields
Sep 3, 2024
In New York the median rent for a one-bedroom just crossed $4,500, by one estimate.
A milestone few New Yorkers are celebrating: The median rent for a one-bedroom apartment there is currently $4,500.
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When interest rate cuts come, where will you feel them first?

by Samantha Fields
Aug 22, 2024
Mortgages, savings accounts and credit card debt are a few places. Some rates have already edged down.
Interest rates have declined on mortgages and some fixed-income investments.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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The U.S. electrical grid is getting more gigawatts. But is it enough?

by Samantha Fields
Aug 19, 2024
The U.S. electrical grid added more than 20 gigawatts of capacity the first half of this year, much of it from renewables.
A lot of new electricity-generation projects are being built, like those using solar and wind power. But more transmission lines are also needed.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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How often does the Fed actually achieve its dual mandate — price stability and maximum employment?

by Samantha Fields
Aug 7, 2024
Since the late 1970s, the Federal Reserve has had two main jobs: ensuring stable prices and maximum employment. How often does it achieve both at the same time?
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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How do big swings in the stock market affect consumer behavior?

by Samantha Fields
Aug 6, 2024
The markets have been on a roller-coaster ride, and it seems we invest more emotion in the downs than the ups.
Humans tend to feel losses more acutely than gains, said Swarthmore's Syon Bhanot. That could be why stock market slumps freak consumers out more than gains provide them relief.
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Why are stocks cratering around the globe?

by Samantha Fields
Aug 5, 2024
The disappointing July jobs report fed fears of a U.S. downturn, spurring traders to sell. But economic fundamentals are still strong.
When an economic report diverges from forecasts, it can "result in large either upward or downward movements," said Charles Lieberman at Advisors Capital Management.
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