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 (523)

States are increasingly using LIHEAP fund to buy air conditioners for low-income families as heat waves and high temperatures become more common.
James Andrews/Getty Images

Energy is getting more expensive. More middle-income families are struggling to pay.

May 16, 2022
Between a quarter and a third of U.S. households are said to be energy insecure, and many don't qualify for aid.
Energy costs should take up about 6% of household income, energy experts say. But many low- and middle-income families are spending  multiple times that.
Photo illustration by George Frey/Getty Images

More than 40% of baby formula out of stock, data company says

May 13, 2022
Just four companies make most of the baby formula in the U.S. After a recall and plant closure at one, there's not enough supply to meet the need.
When you only have a few companies in the country that make something, shortages are one of the risks, says Brian Dittmeier of the National WIC Association.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Just 15% of people in low-income countries are vaccinated against COVID, WHO says

May 11, 2022
The organization wants to vaccinate 70% of the world by mid-2022, but says there's not nearly enough funding to make that happen.
WHO will be urging world leaders to fund its vaccination efforts at the Second Global COVID-19 Summit on Thursday.
Jeroen Jumelet/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Funds that help low-income people pay for abortions are seeing a sharp uptick in donations

May 5, 2022
One fund raised more in the 36 hours after the SCOTUS decision leaked than it had in 3 years.
Pro-abortion and anti-abortion activists demonstrate at the Supreme Court.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Survey finds more than half of Americans are experiencing financial hardship due to gas prices

May 2, 2022
Still, many people told Gallup that they believe higher gas prices are temporary.
Though Americans are spending lots at the pump, more are working from home now and can choose to drive less. 
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Survey finds people are feeling worse about their own finances than they did a year ago

Apr 29, 2022
Price increases have a lot to do with how people see their finances at the moment, but people are also feeling more secure in their jobs.
Therapist and executive coach Angela Sasseville says that the pandemic and other factors have primed us to feel more anxious than before.
MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images

As Delta starts to offer flight attendants pay during boarding, will other airlines follow?

Apr 28, 2022
Boarding passengers has become especially difficult during the pandemic.
Delta is the first domestic airline company to offer pay to flight attendants during the boarding process.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Higher costs, wages are increasingly cutting into profits for some businesses

Apr 27, 2022
The NABE reports some businesses are raising prices to remain profitable, but they may be running into resistance from consumers.
Seventy five percent of businesses that responded across all sorts of industries say costs for materials have been rising in the last few months.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

What's behind significant rent increases in some U.S. cities?

Apr 27, 2022
People looking to break out of shared housing are increasing demand for rentals, but supply is limited.
Some markets across the U.S. have seen double-digit percent increases in apartment rents.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images