Fewer women were killed by men in South Carolina in 2002 than the year before, helping move the state from No. 1 to No. 6 in a national ranking, according to a study by the Violence Policy Center.

In 2002, 49 women died at the hands of men, the center’s annual report said. That’s a homicide rate of 2.32 per 100,000 residents. The 2001 data showed 64 women were killed by men in the state, a rate of 3.15 per 100,000 residents — the highest rate in the nation. Seven of the top 10 states are in the Southeast and Southwest.

Those involved in the prevention of domestic violence are not impressed by South Carolina’s drop to No. 6. Rather, they are more concerned by another number — 49 — the number of women killed in 2002.

“That’s so many. That’s such an abysmal, shameful, embarrassing statistic although, thank heavens, we’re not an embarrassing number one,” said Nancy Barton, executive director of Sistercare, which serves battered women and their children.

Although South Carolina dropped in the rankings, now is not the time to become complacent, said Vicki Bourus, executive director of the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

“If we had gone from one to 25, that would be significant enough to say, wow, we’re doing something right. Given we are still in the Top 10, we have a lot of work to do,” she said.

Bourus said she does not want to take away from the efforts to prevent the abuse. She commended the state’s attorney general, chief justice and governor for bringing more attention to the issue.

“Now is the time to keep the pressure on. We really don’t know what the ranking drop means. It could mean something we’re doing right. If so, we need to keep doing that,” Bourus said.

The Violence Policy Center, based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit group advocating gun control.

Four years ago, in a study based on 1998 data, South Carolina also ranked No. 1 for the number of women killed by men. The state has been in the Top 5 each year of the study.

The 2002 figures don’t show the impact of changes in the state’s domestic violence and abuse laws in the past couple years.

For instance, tougher domestic violence and abuse penalties hit the law books last year. State Attorney General Henry McMaster last year launched a program in two counties that trains volunteer lawyers to prosecute domestic violence cases.

Staff writer Lauren Leach contributed to this article.