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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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).
Nebraskans vote to cap interest rates on payday loans
Nov 11, 2020
Voters overwhelmingly approved limiting annual interest on small-dollar loans to 36%.
What is market distortion?
Nov 10, 2020
European Union regulators have accused Amazon of violating antitrust regulations and distorting the market.
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.