Sarah Leeson

Producer

In her work as a producer on Marketplace’s flagship show, Sarah puts together segments on topics ranging from the economics of healthcare to modern-day train heists. Previously, she worked for GBH, WBUR, and Michigan Public, and, in her free time, she travels the globe, attends comedy shows, and plays too much mahjong. She lives in Boston with her dog, Fettuccine.

Latest from Sarah Leeson

Jul 6, 2026
Back-to-school shopping? Already?
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Anxiety over higher prices and pandemic-holdover retail schedules have families shopping early. Plus: Great Lakes algae, a native plants nursery, energy grid strain, and consumer moods.
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Jul 3, 2026
Trading up to an AI-proof career
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A trade school in North Carolina is trying to get more women and non-binary people into careers in the trades — a more steady, AI-proof field than most. Plus, country stores, labor force participation, and a tailoring business.
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Jul 2, 2026
An underwhelming June jobs report
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
There’s no widespread layoffs, and the unemployment rate kicked down, but economists expected double the amount of new jobs added. Plus, wage growth, de-extinction, the “lump of labor” fallacy, Saudi Aramco, and a social worker with a tour guide side hustle.
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Jul 1, 2026
Forget rush hour, traffic has become an all-day problem
The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Im
With people moving farther from city centers and commuting at more irregular hours, peak traffic times have shifted and stretched.
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Jul 1, 2026
What would make Kevin Warsh consider a "Fed put?"
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With a new Federal Reserve chair, can we expect a “Fed put” to promote stability in financial markets? Plus, teen jobs, home building, prediction markets, rush hour, and cowboy boots.
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Jun 30, 2026
A confusing economy means a less confident consumer
simpson33/Getty Images/iStockphoto
New data showed a slight increase in consumer confidence in June, though mixed signals from the economy could mean that’s temporary. Plus, a widening gender wage gap, small business struggles, remote work’s impact on parenting, and natural gas pipelines.
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Jun 30, 2026
Small businesses are folding under tariff pressure
Kristin Schwab/Marketplace
Up against inflation, tariffs, and a big box store moving in, Nicole Panettieri had to close her two shops in Queens, New York.
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Jun 29, 2026
The president's new power over independent agencies
Tom Brenner/Getty Images
The Supreme Court’s ruling Monday expanded presidential power over independent agencies — with the Fed as an exception. Plus, transportation costs, infrastructure projects, Comcast’s spinoff, and L.A. estate sales.
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Jun 29, 2026
Supreme Court decision axes the idea of independent agencies — except for the Federal Reserve
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“These agencies exercise sweeping powers over corporations, over the economy, over our health, over our safety,” said University of Michigan law professor Leah Litman, “And the court just handed the president the power to dictate what the heads of those agencies do.”
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Jun 26, 2026
The AI inflation roller coaster
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AI is likely to accelerate inflation over the course of the next year, but some economists say it could eventually bring the prices of goods and services down. Plus, we’ll look at garage sales, restaurant matchbooks, and how a union is saving on healthcare.
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