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 (508)

What will the end of the pause on student loan payments mean for retailers?

Apr 21, 2023
Discretionary spending may decline as people add those payments back into their budgets.
When payment obligations resume as expected this year, discretionary spending could dip and affect big-box retailers and local bistros alike.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

In a tight labor market, technical training is everything

Apr 20, 2023
Employers need more skilled workers, and some technical and community colleges are getting more funding to train them.
There has been an uptick in overall state funding for technical and community colleges, which hospitals often rely on to train registered nurses and surgical technicians.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Employers rely on internships as a recruiting tool in tight labor market  

Apr 19, 2023
Internship hiring is projected to increase by 9.1% from last year, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
Employers expect to increase their summer intern numbers by 9.1% from last year according to a recent survey released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
ExperienceInteriors/Getty Images

Should you trust chatbots to give you financial advice?

Apr 14, 2023
They may sound good. But the advice isn’t always sound.
People are using AI chatbots like ChatGPT to look up financial advice. But the quality of the recommendations isn't always up to snuff.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

Walmart’s store closures in Chicago highlight the challenges of urban big box retail

Apr 13, 2023
Walmart says that, collectively, its Chicago stores aren’t profitable. But academics point out they’ll still leave a hole when they’re gone.
A worker collects shopping carts at a Walmart store in Chicago. The company announced the closure of half of its stores in the city this week.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Another small college closes as declining enrollment and a hot job market bite

Apr 12, 2023
More than half a dozen have announced they're closing over the past year or so.
A new Alabama law limits publicly funded institutions from endorsing or mandating DEI programs.
Getty Images

What Tupperware’s money problems say about direct selling 

Apr 11, 2023
Tupperware's stock tumbled after the company said it needed more capital in order to keep going.
Tupperware's recent stock drop is indicative of larger problems with direct-selling business models.
ustin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Everyone's got an opinion on proposed USDA nutrition standards for schools — especially the students

Apr 7, 2023
The USDA says kids' health is at stake with the proposed nutrition standards. But some manufacturers say making food with less salt and sugar will cost more, while nutrition directors are worried students won’t eat the meals.
The USDA is currently accepting comments on proposed changes to the nutritional standards of school meals.
Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images

UFC + WWE: A match made in a ring. Or is it an octagon?

Apr 3, 2023
The brands are merging to form a new publicly traded company. It could give fans of each fighting world a chance to learn to like the other.
WWE matches, like the one above, are scripted, while UFC fights are real.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

State funding for homeschooling is on the rise. Not everyone wants it.

Mar 29, 2023
At least 12 states now have laws allowing families to use public funds for homeschooling expenses.
Anna Fulbright (right) instructs her daughter, 10-year-old Natalie Fulbright, on how to make a geographical landscape with Play-Doh.
Stephanie Hughes / Marketplace