Margaret O'shaughnessy lived in Queens enumeration district 287 which belongs to the Queens tract 246, in a rented home.
This tract has a total population of 2542. There are 597 whites who are 3rd (or higher) generation immigrants, which is about 23% of the total. There are 159 black residents in this tract, which is about 6% of the total population.

The largest white ethnic group in this tract is Italian . They have a population of 479, which comprises about 19% of the total tract population. About 35% of the Italian residents are 1st generation. Polish are the second largest with 418 ( 16% ), and Russians are the third with 266 ( 10% ). The first generation immigrants make up about 62% and 58% of these groups, respectively.

There are 24.4 persons per acre in this tract. About 22% of families own their homes.