Abstract: Soils around a new oil well (2011- ) and an old oil well (1966-2003) were sampled to investigate the characteristics of petroleum pollution in the oilfield. The structure of soil microbial community was analyzed by PCRDGGE and clone sequencing techniques. Results showed that the soils around the two oil wells were generally contaminated with petroleum, and the concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons mostly exceeded the threshold of the environmental quality standards of soil (500 mg·kg^-1). The total petroleum hydrocarbons concentration of the polluted soil was significantly positively correlated with the contents of organic carbon, total nitrogen and available potassium, respectively. The microbial diversity index in the soil around the old oil well decreased with the increasing total petroleum hydrocarbons concentration, however, it was reversed for the soil around the new oil well. Sequence analysis of the prominent bands in DGGE profiles showed that some dominant species existed in the petroleumcontaminated soils around the oil wells and mostly were oilassociated and hydrocarbon degrading bacteria, including Microbacterium, Streptomyces, Dietzia, Flavobacterium, αProteobacteria, and γProteobacteria.