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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.

Latest Stories (574)

Most states have been underpaying Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits

Dec 1, 2020
Instead of calculating PUA benefits based on people’s income, many states have just been paying the minimum benefit.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Risk of getting COVID at the grocery store is higher in low-income neighborhoods

Nov 30, 2020
In part because they're more crowded and people stay longer, researchers found.
A bodega worker restocks produce in Brooklyn earlier this year.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Online shopping uptick expected to continue for holidays

Nov 26, 2020
But the uncertainty of this holiday season could give small, local businesses an edge if they offer last-minute shopping options.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Housing Works

Starbucks and Home Depot permanently raising wages

Nov 19, 2020
A growing number of people across the country and the political spectrum support raising the minimum wage. Is this a sign of a bigger shift?
Starbucks is boosting starting salaries to help attract and retain new employees.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Black students most likely to be going to school remotely

Nov 17, 2020
More than 70% of Black students are going to school entirely online, compared to 40% of white students.
More than 70% of Black students are learning entirely remotely right now, according to a Marketplace-Edison Research poll.
FG Trade via Getty Images

2019 was a good year for the outdoor economy. What about 2020?

Nov 13, 2020
Businesses that sell outdoor gear, from bikes to kayaks, have been doing well in the pandemic, but other parts of the outdoor recreation economy have struggled.
Kayakers paddle their way along Barton Creek in Austin, Texas, in May. The outdoor economy made up just over 2% of GDP in 2019.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Few people are tapping 401(k)s, even without withdrawal penalties

Nov 12, 2020
The CARES Act made it easier to get money out of retirement savings early. But that only helps people with enough cushion to have a 401(k).
At Vanguard, 4.5% of people had taken a coronavirus-related distribution as of the end of September.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

Nebraskans vote to cap interest rates on payday loans

Nov 11, 2020
Voters overwhelmingly approved limiting annual interest on small-dollar loans to 36%.
A new report from the Joint Economic Committee in Congress finds that Black, Hispanic, and poorer Americans are much more likely to be considered "unbanked" or "underbanked".
Oli Scarff/Getty Images

What is market distortion?

Nov 10, 2020
European Union regulators have accused Amazon of violating antitrust regulations and distorting the market.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos testifies via video conference during a House hearing about online platforms and market power on Capitol Hill. Amazon is now under fire by the EU for allegedly distorting competition.
Graeme Jennings/Getty Images

Paid sick leave prevents thousands of COVID cases daily, study says

Nov 5, 2020
But the U.S. is way behind most developed countries in mandating paid sick leave.
Nurse and health care workers in the Bronx, New York, rally against a policy requiring a doctor's note to receive paid sick leave in April.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images