Laurel Wamsley

Laurel Wamsley is a correspondent on NPR's Business Desk, where she covers personal finance and housing. She reports on how news events and the economy affect people and their money, and explains how to make sound financial choices in a fast-changing world.

Before joining the Business Desk, Wamsley was a reporter on NPR’s National Desk, where she reported on cities. Wamsley has reported on cities’ efforts to change zoning rules and parking requirements to allow more housing, how Baby Boomers feel locked in by low mortgage rates, and how downtowns are adapting to post-pandemic lifestyles. She also explored the economic impact of the bridge collapse in Baltimore.

She previously was a reporter on NPR's Newsdesk, where she reported breaking news and features on a wide range of subjects, including criminal justice, technology, sports, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wamsley spent several months reporting from Berlin as an Arthur F. Burns Fellow in 2019, and that year was NPR's lead reporter at the Women's World Cup in France.

Previously, Wamsley was a producer for NPR's shows and desks. She got her start at NPR as an intern on Weekend Edition Saturday.

Wamsley graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. Wamsley also holds a master's degree from Ohio University, where she was a Public Media Fellow and worked at NPR Member station WOUB. Born and raised in Athens, Ohio, she has also called Austin and Chicago home. She now lives and bikes in Washington, D.C.