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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 (545)

Does lipstick still have economic staying power?

Aug 19, 2024
Historically, when the economy gets rough, sales of lipstick go up. But for luxury beauty brands, that may not still be the case.
Luxury skincare and makeup was doing well a couple years ago. But now, with the price of everything up, consumers are reassessing what counts as a "little luxury" purchase.
Larry French/Getty Images for NYX Professional Makeup

Electronics and appliance store sales rose in July

Aug 16, 2024
Promotions, AI-ready computers and a need for new gear all likely played a role.
Consumers who purchased PCs at the height of the pandemic may find it's nearing the time to replace or upgrade their tech.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Will the Justice Department break up Google?

Aug 15, 2024
A court ruled on Aug. 5 that the company has a monopoly in online search. A break up could be one of several ways forward, though it’s a pretty uncommon one.
Google is often the default search engine on many smartphones, making it harder for smaller search engines to compete.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

Home Depot CEO cites "macroeconomic uncertainty" in earnings report

Aug 13, 2024
The company says customers are deferring big renovation projects because of high interest rates and economic worries.
When consumers spend less because they’re concerned the economy might not do so well, that can cause the economy to not do so well.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

What if tips weren't taxed?

Aug 13, 2024
Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris support eliminating federal taxes on tips. It might attract votes from tipped workers, who make up 2.5% of the American labor force. But what would it mean for tax policy?
The Tax Foundation estimates that eliminating income taxes on tips would cost at least $107 billion in revenue over 10 years.
SDI Productions/Getty Images

Services exports are a critical and growing part of the economy

Aug 5, 2024
They have been a positive contributor to GDP growth for almost every quarter over the past three years.
Lighting designer Greg Guarnaccia stands in his office in Baltimore. As a U.S. resident with clients abroad, he’s a services exporter.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

More homeowners are "equity rich," but what can they do with that wealth?

Aug 1, 2024
High interest rates often make home equity loans or cash-out refinance options unappealing.
"You can sell some of your mutual funds," says Jenny Schuetz of Brookings Metro. "You can't sell off a part of your house."
David McNew/Getty Images

When it comes to office space, some firms find better is better — but bigger is not

Jul 31, 2024
As workers settle into hybrid work routines, some employers are upgrading to nicer spaces with a smaller footprint.
Some employers are opting to trade in older, larger offices for smaller ones with more amenities, said commercial real estate broker Scott Wimbrow.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images

McDonald's sales slipped. That may mean lower-income consumers feel pinched.

Jul 29, 2024
Reporting quarterly results, the fast-food company said customers "continue to be more intentional with the dollars they spend."
McDonald's weak results are prompting varied interpretations. Maybe consumers are tightening their budgets, or maybe they're moving higher up the food chain.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Consumers are saving the least since 2022, despite "pretty, pretty good" economy

Jul 26, 2024
Incomes are up, consumption is up too — but the personal savings rate is down to 3.4%.
Higher interest rates and avid credit card use are among the reasons many Americans have little left over after buying essentials.
SDI Productions/Getty Images