Gordon majored in economics and statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a doctorate in economics from Stanford University.^[1] Her dissertation, Ex ante and Ex post Substitutability in Economic Growth, was supervised by Kenneth Arrow.

After completing her Ph.D., she became a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University from 1970 to 1974, and then a senior research associate at the Urban Institute. She began working for president Jimmy Carter in 1979, as a senior advisor and executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Women. From 1980 to 1995 she worked in the Congressional Budget Office as a senior economist and assistant director for health and human resources.^[2]

Since 1995 she has worked at the United States Census Bureau. From 1995 until 2005 she worked on household surveys as associate director for demographic programs.^[2] Subsequently, she became associate director for strategic planning and innovation at the Census Bureau.

Gordon was president of the Caucus for Women in Statistics in 1985,^[3] and chair of the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession of the American Economic Association from 1985 to 1987.^[1] She has also served on the board of directors of Worldwide Assurance for Employees of Public Agencies, a nonprofit insurance association for federal employees, from 1982 to 1990, including a term as president of the board.^[2][1]

In 2000, Gordon was listed as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.^[4] She is also an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.^[5]