Ana Hernández Kent
Senior Researcher
Download curriculum vitae (PDF)
Ana Hernández Kent is a senior researcher for the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She conducts research, performs data analysis and advises on issues of economic equity. Her primary research interests include:
- Examining economic disparities and opportunities through a demographic lens
- Exploring wealth inequality and the role of systemic biases and historical factors in facilitating or blocking wealth accumulation
- Highlighting the essential role that women play in the economy and child care’s economic importance for women, families and businesses
Kent received a Ph.D. in experimental psychology with concentrations in social psychology and quantitative methods in behavioral sciences from Saint Louis University, where she also earned a master’s degree in experimental psychology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame.
Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, The Financial Times, Daily Mail, The New Yorker and CNN, among other outlets.
Featured Publications
- Real Estate Helped Drive Wealth Gains during the Pandemic
with Lowell R. Ricketts, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, On the Economy, Aug. 8, 2023 - The Economic Impact of Child Care by State
with Samantha Evans, Charles S. Gascon and Ngân Trân, Feb. 7, 2023 - The State of U.S. Wealth Inequality
with Lowell R. Ricketts, May 23, 2023 - Why Supporting Working Moms Can Benefit Families, the Economy, and All of Us
St. Louis Fed, Open Vault, July 13, 2022 - How Much Could U.S. States Gain by Closing Racial and Gender Gaps in the Labor Market?
with other Federal Reserve Community Development Staff, Fed Communities, June 22, 2021 - Has Wealth Inequality in America Changed over Time? Here Are Key Statistics
with Lowell R. Ricketts, St. Louis Fed, Open Vault, Dec. 2, 2020
Journal Publications
- Is College Still Worth It? The New Calculus of Falling Returns
with William R. Emmons and Lowell R. Ricketts, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, October 2019
Working Papers
- Methodological Nuance in the Survey of Consumer Finances: Prioritizing Usage of the Respondent Over the Reference Person
with Lowell R. Ricketts, Institute for Economic Equity Working Paper - Pink Flowers in a Blue Garden: A Persistent U.S. Gender Wealth Gap
Short Articles (see CV for more)
- New Analysis Finds LGBTQ+ Households Trail in Income and Wealth
with Sophia Scott, On the Economy, Dec. 1, 2022 - How Does Gen Z Student Debt Compare with Millennials’?
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Aug. 25, 2022 - Millennials Are Catching Up in Terms of Generational Wealth
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, March 30, 2021 - The “She-Cession” Persists, Especially for Women of Color
with Meredith Covington, On the Economy, Dec. 24, 2020 - Wealth Gaps between White, Black and Hispanic Families in 2019
with Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Jan. 5, 2021 - Is College Still Worth It? It’s Complicated
with William R. Emmons and Lowell R. Ricketts, On the Economy, Feb. 7, 2019
Reports & Essays
- Understanding the Gender Wealth Gap, and Why It Matters (PDF)
with Mariko Chang and Heather McCulloch, The Future of Building Wealth, Sept. 30, 2021 - Unequal Starting Points: A Demographic Lens Is Key for Inclusive Wealth Building (PDF)
with Lowell R. Ricketts, The Future of Building Wealth, Sept. 30, 2021 - A Lost Generation? Long-Lasting Wealth Impacts of the Great Recession on Young Families
with William R. Emmons and Lowell R. Ricketts, The Demographics of Wealth: How Education, Race and Birth Year Shape Financial Outcomes, Essay No. 2, May 2018 - The Financial Returns from College across Generations: Large but Unequal
with William R. Emmons and Lowell R. Ricketts, The Demographics of Wealth: How Education, Race and Birth Year Shape Financial Outcomes, Essay No. 1, February 2018
Op-Eds
- History, More Than Current Choices, Best Explains the Racial Wealth Gap Today
with Ray Boshara and Lowell R. Ricketts, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Feb. 21, 2022. Article available for download (PDF) - The importance of Hispanics and Latinos to the U.S. economy
CNBC, Sept. 15, 2021
Podcasts
- Economic Equity: Millennials and the Racial Divide
with Lowell R. Ricketts, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Timely Topics: Economic Equity podcast miniseries, Nov. 10, 2021 - The Pandemic Worsened Inequities for Working Women. What Now?
with Meredith Covington, St. Louis Fed Timely Topics podcast, April 14, 2021
- May 11, 2023. Moderator for Connecting Communities’ Two Sides of One Child-Care Dilemma virtual event
- May 9, 2023. Presentation: All Debt Created (Un)Equal: Gender and Racial Gaps in Student Debt, to Consumer Action
- March 23, 2023. Panel Discussion for FOCUS St. Louis Women in Leadership program
- March 2, 2023. Presentation: Women in the Economy: An Underleveraged Powerhouse, to the Association for Corporate Growth St. Louis
- Feb. 16, 2023. Presentation: Understanding Inequality and Poverty through a Demographic Lens, to FOCUS St. Louis’ Youth Leadership program
- Feb. 9, 2023. Presentation: Economic Outcomes of First-Generation, Four-Year College Graduates: They Get a Financial Boost, but Don’t Catch Up, to the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium
- Nov. 1, 2022. Presentation: The Latino Wealth Gap and Latinos in the Economy, to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for Hispanic Heritage Month
