Aixa Boice of Battle Creek stopped at the Shell station on Capital Avenue northeast in Pennfield Township on Monday afternoon, where the sign showed gas at $1.67 per gallon.

"I wish it could be like this all the time," she said. She was talking about the price.

Stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders across the country mean fewer Americans are on the road. And the rapid decline in demand during the coronavirus outbreak has meant that Michigan motorists are paying their lowest rates for gasoline in at least four years.

According to fuel-savings app GasBuddy, which tracks prices, a gallon of gas could be purchased off the Interstate 94 corridor in Battle Creek on Monday for $1.56 at the BP and Mobile stations on Capital Avenue Southwest and Pilot station on 11-mile road. In Marshall, it was $1.52 at Admiral on West Michigan and Cherry. In Albion on Sunday, it was as low as $1.36 at Sonoco on North Eaton Street and East Watson Street.

In the village of Bellevue in Eaton County, gas could be purchased Monday for as low as $1.30. Parts of metro Detroit are currently selling gas for less than $1 per gallon.

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AAA tracks average gas prices on a weekly basis and reported Monday that Michigan's state average per gallon of $1.61 is the lowest since February of 2016. The average for Calhoun County was $1.68 per gallon, while the national average of $1.92 per gallon is 81 cents less expensive than a year ago.

"Americans are staying at home at a time when they’d probably be filling up more and considering more road trips because of cheap gas," AAA spokesperson Jeanette Casselano told USA Today. "They’re not necessarily reaping all the benefits of these savings at pump."

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The decline is due to COVID-19’s impact on the global economy, as well as the crude oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The latest Energy Information Administration weekly report puts demand at 6.7 million barrels per day – a nearly 30 year low. That number is likely to decline as more Americans are urged to stay at home until at least the beginning of May.

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If nationwide gas prices dip below $1.49 per gallon, it will be the lowest they’ve been since 2004.

Nick Buckley can be reached at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley