Grandparents foot back-to-school bill

In the midst of one of the toughest back-to-school buying seasons in years, grandparents in many families are pitching in to get kids clothed.

Three of the top five cities where folks are projected to spend the most per person in 2008 on children’s apparel also rank among the top five cities for residents over age 65, according to new data crunched for USA TODAY by Pitney Bowes MapInfo, a specialist in demographic research.

Put another way: Cities with many residents in the typical grandparent age group are becoming best friends of children’s apparel retailers, who usually target ads to a younger demographic.

With prices for food, gasoline and home heating up, parents are more willing to let grandparents help with clothing costs, says Dan Butler, vice president of retail operations at the National Retail Federation.

The number of Americans 65 and older topped 35 million in 2006, or 12 percent of the population. That number will hit 88 million by 2050, representing 20 percent of the population, the Census Bureau says.