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 (487)

Cal State is the latest public university system to increase tuition

Sep 15, 2023
Students will pay 6% more every year for five years starting in 2024.
The California State University system is the latest of several public colleges who have increased tuition. Operating costs have gone up, and state budget allocations rarely grow with inflation.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Car parts have gotten more expensive, and so has labor. But cars themselves have also gotten more complicated to fix.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The most popular over-the-counter decongestant doesn't work, FDA panel finds

Sep 13, 2023
It replaced a decongestant that's a precursor to methamphetamine.
U.S. consumers bought bought nearly three hundred million packages of over the counter oral decongestants last year, according to the FDA.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Only one in three public school teachers think their base salary is adequate

Sep 12, 2023
They're paid less than others with comparable education and experience.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Businesses are telling the Federal Reserve they think wage gains are subsiding

Sep 8, 2023
That could be a sign that the Fed's interest rate hikes are working and the economy is cooling.
Though wage growth has been falling, inflation has been falling even faster.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

U.S. dollar's strength is mostly bad news for countries and companies around the world

Sep 6, 2023
Central banks have a couple of tools they can use to push back, including interest rate hikes and selling U.S. dollars..
The U.S. dollar spent August surging against Asian currencies.
Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images

Why chicken over beef? Food fads come and go with price, habits and ... TikTok

Sep 5, 2023
Social media trends can inspire people to try out new ingredients. But it’s not like the food industry can immediately respond to every new protein craze.
Tyson Foods is closing some processing plants, in part because the company overestimated Americans’ appetite for chicken.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Spending on games and hobbies is up as consumers prepare to hunker down for fall

Aug 31, 2023
During the pandemic, people spent money on stuff. Then, they spent money on experiences. Now, it seems they're spending money on things that help them connect.
Ethan Childs, left, and Imani White play Magic the Gathering at Canton Games in Baltimore. Games are part of how they socialize.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

Even as GDP growth cools, consumer spending is keeping the economy humming

Aug 30, 2023
Consumer spending, which accounts for most of GDP, grew more in the second quarter than initially reported.
"If the consumer is strong, you basically don't have to worry about much else," says Baird analyst Ross Mayfield.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Revised FAFSA could simplify a dreaded rite of passage for students

Aug 29, 2023
It’s intended to make the process of getting financial aid less painful.
Over 40% of high school seniors didn’t submit the FAFSA last year, according to the National College Attainment Network.
Getty Images