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Stephanie Hughes

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Stephanie Hughes is a senior reporter at Marketplace. She’s focused on education and the economy, and lives in Brooklyn.

She's reported on topics including the effectiveness of technology used by schools to prevent violence, startups that translate global climate data for homebuyers, and why theater majors are getting jobs writing for chatbots.

Previously, she worked as a producer for Bloomberg, where she covered finance, technology, and economics. Before that, she worked as the senior producer for “Maryland Morning,” broadcast on WYPR, the NPR affiliate in Baltimore. She’s also reported for other media outlets, including NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered,” “The Takeaway,” and Salon.

At WYPR, she helped produce the year-long, multi-platform series “The Lines Between Us,” which won a 2014 duPont-Columbia Award. She’s also interested in using crowdsourcing to create online projects, such as this interactive map of flags around Maryland, made from listener contributions.

A native of southern Delaware, Stephanie graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in communications, studying at the Annenberg School. Before she found her way to radio, she worked in the children’s division of the publishing house Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Latest Stories (560)

Pay the student loan debt, the credit card debt or the rent?

Mar 27, 2025
With missed student loan payments now affecting credit scores, borrowers face tough choices.
More than 9 million delinquent student loan borrowers could soon see a hit to their credit scores, a New York Fed report estimates.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

One year after the Key Bridge collapse, Baltimore’s port is recovering

Mar 26, 2025
Ship traffic is back to about 90% of where it was prior to the bridge collapse.
Above, Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore in October. Despite the collapse of the Key Bridge, the port experienced its second-best year on record.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In Baltimore, bridge builders must be economic futurists

Mar 24, 2025
The rebuilt Francis Scott Key Bridge will have to accommodate not just the ships and trucks of today, but those of a 100 years from now.
A rendering of the cable-stayed bridge that will replace the truss design of the Francis Key Scott Bridge, which was destroyed a year ago when it was hit by a container ship.
Courtesy Maryland Transportation Authority

5.5 million people in the U.S. are labeled “not in labor force, want job”

Jan 10, 2025
That’s 3% fewer than a year ago. If it keeps dropping, it could be a sign the labor market is getting warmer.
While some people might choose to get back into the job market, others might choose to stop looking altogether and focus on school or taking care of a loved one, said economist Harry Holzer.
Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images

If we see a new warning label on alcohol, are we less likely to buy it?

Jan 6, 2025
The U.S. Surgeon General recommended big changes to the warning label on alcohol, including adding specific information on how it can cause certain kinds of cancer.
A lot of people drink out of habit, said Dr. Tim Naimi at the University of Victoria. A new warning label might make them change that habit.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

What will it take to get the stalled housing market moving in 2025?

Dec 31, 2024
If the housing market is a roller coaster, mortgage rates are at the controls. If they drop, things could speed up.
Home prices continued to rise in 2024 in a fairly listless sales environment.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Winnebago’s revenue dropped 18% this quarter

Dec 20, 2024
The company pointed to a “challenging macroeconomic environment.”
Gabe LHeureux/Getty Images

U.S. exports grew in Q3, including in computer parts 

Dec 19, 2024
Exports of computer-related services rose too. "You sell the machine, but you also sell the engineers" who can set it up, one expert says.
Imports also increased in the third quarter, underscoring the U.S. economy's growth, says Eswar Prasad of Cornell University.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

"Damaged goods": Being unemployed for months takes a toll.

Dec 10, 2024
The ranks of the long-term unemployed have swelled to 1.7 million. The psychological effects add to the economic pain.
Being unemployed for an extended period can be "stigmatizing" for job hunters, said Julia Pollak of ZipRecruiter.
Ridvan Celik/Getty Images

Consumers think inflation will slow … eventually

Dec 9, 2024
Consumers tend to overestimate where inflation will be, but if you look at their expectations three years from now, they believe it will slow down.
Consumers are optimistic about other aspects of their economic future, like the stock market and wage growth.
Kena Betancur/Getty Images