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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.

Episodes by Samantha (22)

Make Me Smart | Episode 1120

Gaza's food crisis

Mar 18, 2024
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Marketplace Minute

Wholesale prices rose in January

Feb 16, 2024
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Marketplace Minute

Household debt rose in the third quarter

Nov 7, 2023
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Marketplace Minute

Stocks close higher

Oct 30, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 1029

AI robocalls and ethical concerns for New Yorkers

Oct 19, 2023
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Marketplace Minute

Goldman sees less risk of a U.S. recession

Sep 5, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 992

The rise of homeownership sans insurance

Aug 28, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 896

Who's paying Trump's legal bills?

Apr 5, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 895

The recent phenomenon of the AR-15's popularity

Apr 4, 2023
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Make Me Smart | Episode 863

What's age got to do with it?

Feb 16, 2023
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Latest Stories (525)

New house construction is booming. Here's why most of it isn't affordable.

by Samantha Fields
Jun 20, 2023
There may be more supply, but it tends to cater to demand at the higher end of the income spectrum.
Over the past decade or so, new home construction slowed and still hasn’t caught up with demand.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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NYC sets minimum wage for app-based delivery drivers

by Samantha Fields
Jun 13, 2023
The workers currently earn $7 an hour on average. Starting in July, they'll make nearly $18 an hour before tips.
Starting in July, app delivery workers in New York City will make nearly $18 an hour before tips.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Child care is a challenge for the many parents with unpredictable work hours

by Samantha Fields
Jun 12, 2023
Nearly a third of parents don’t know their schedule more than two weeks in advance, and more than 25% need child care outside of traditional work hours.
More than a quarter of parents need care outside of traditional working hours, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. But that can be difficult to find.
Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images
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Women's labor force participation rate reaches an all-time high

by Samantha Fields
Jun 2, 2023
Millions of women left the workforce early in the pandemic. The strong job market and flexible working conditions have brought many back.
When COVID hit, many women exited the workforce as the service sector collapsed and their children were schooled at home. Now, women's employment is bouncing back.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
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Spike in new households adds to rent, home price increases

by Samantha Fields
May 29, 2023
As of 2020, people living alone made up 27% of new households. That trend has been accelerating.
An apartment building in Manhattan, New York City, seeks renters. More Americans are forming their own households than in previous decades.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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What does the decline in corporate profits say about the economy?

by Samantha Fields
May 25, 2023
Profits fell for the second quarter in a row, partly due to Fed rate hikes. Whether it’s a good thing depends on your role in the economy.
Profits are falling, but the stock market is "not freaked out," says Bruce Sacerdote of Dartmouth.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
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There are now only 4 major U.S. cities where buying is cheaper than renting

by Samantha Fields
May 25, 2023
That's good news if you're looking to buy in Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland or Houston, but what about the rest of us?
Even if monthly mortgage payments are higher than comparable rent, "you get the benefit of building up wealth," said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Millions may soon lose Medicaid coverage

by Samantha Fields
May 24, 2023
During the COVID public health emergency, states couldn’t kick anyone off Medicaid. Now, that continuous enrollment is coming to an end.
As of March 2023, nearly 95 million people had coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provide free or low-cost health insurance to low-income people. 
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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More people are delaying medical care due to cost, Federal Reserve finds

by Samantha Fields
May 24, 2023
About 28% said they had skipped some form of health care because they couldn't afford it, although other costs have been rising faster.
About 28% of survey respondents said they skipped some form of health care last year because they couldn’t afford it, despite other costs rising more quickly.
Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images
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National Debt

What happens to benefit checks if there's no deal on the debt ceiling?

by Samantha Fields
May 23, 2023
Supplemental Security Income payments and veterans 'payments could be among the first checks to be delayed.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden to continue debit limit negotiations. Experts agree that a default would cause a massive pause on regular government payments to individuals in need.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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