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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 (525)

As homelessness rises, some states make it illegal to sleep outside 

Aug 11, 2022
In Missouri, it’s now illegal. In Tennessee, it can be a felony. But criminalizing homelessness could make it harder for people to find homes.
Inflation and high rent prices in New York City are contributing the city's ongoing homelessness crisis.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Why the price of groceries is going up faster than a meal out

Aug 10, 2022
In part, that’s because restaurants don’t want to scare away customers.
"If consumers were truly, truly worried," says economist Jennifer Lee, discretionary spending on things like restaurant lunches "would be one of the first areas they would cut back on."
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

High home prices and rising interest rates mean there are lots more homes on the market

Aug 9, 2022
The housing market is cooling a little. But there still aren't that many homes for sale, just more than last year.
The main reasons more homes are on the market is rising mortgage rates and high home prices, says Danielle Hale at Realtor.com.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Credit card debt is up 13% from last year, New York Fed reports

Aug 3, 2022
That’s the biggest year-over-year increase in 20 years. Inflation is just part of the reason.
Credit card debt increased by 13% over recent months as consumers go back to pre-pandemic spending habits, like going to restaurants or traveling.
Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Few homeowners in Kentucky's flooded areas have flood insurance

Aug 2, 2022
Nationwide, only 4 in 100 homes are covered, a FEMA official says. Without it, victims are pretty much on their own.
An aerial view of Jackson, Kentucky, on Thursday. There are only a few hundred flood insurance policies in that part of the state, a FEMA official said.
Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images

Biden administration launches Heat.gov as extreme heat becomes more common

Aug 1, 2022
The government also boosts funding for a FEMA program to help communities prepare for extreme heat and other climate-related disasters.
While the government is taking steps to address the impacts of extreme heat, climate experts worry that the problem could worsen.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Senate climate bill includes incentives for new and used EVs

Jul 28, 2022
Demand for clean vehicles is strong in the U.S., but manufacturers are still hampered by supply chain issues.
The new bill would offer tax incentives for electric vehicle purchases to people who make $150,000 or less annually. Above, a Tesla charging station in Pasadena, California.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Filling jobs in the new U.S. offshore wind industry is a "huge challenge"

Jul 25, 2022
Good-paying jobs are a selling point with renewable energy projects. In Massachusetts, training programs are popping up to get people ready.
Massachusetts Maritime Academy on Cape Cod offers a safety training class that is required to work in offshore wind jobs.
Samantha Fields/Marketplace

Extreme heat is driving up demand for natural gas, along with prices

Jul 22, 2022
Nearly 40% of U.S. electricity is generated by natural gas, so when millions of air conditioners are turned on, prices rise.
With large swaths of the U.S. under excessive heat warnings this week, Americans are blasting their air conditioners, which can increase electricity bills.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Housing affordability continues to worsen for many Americans

Jul 19, 2022
Home prices are at record levels, and mortgage rates are much higher now than they were six months ago.
Fewer homes are being built these days — especially in the price range of first-time buyers.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images