In 1992, MacPherson was awarded the NAS Award in Mathematics from the National Academy of Sciences. In 2002 he and Goresky were awarded the Leroy P. Steele Prize for Seminal Contribution to Research by the American Mathematical Society.
MacPherson was recognized with the NAS Award in Mathematics from the National Academy of Sciences in 1992. In 2002, he and Goresky received the Leroy P. Steele Prize for an Outstanding Achievement in Research from the American Mathematical Society.